![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/invite.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u201cNathaniel?\u00a0 Are you acquainted with someone in Spain?\u201d\u00a0 Wren held a gold embossed envelope in her left hand.\u00a0 Flipping it over, she inspected the postal mark.\u00a0 Barcelona.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both do,\u201d he said with a smile and snatched it from her.\u00a0 She gave him a sour look.\u00a0 \u201cJasmine.\u00a0 Two years ago she asked me to come to Spain about now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, yes, just after she lost her mother and Diego,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Nat slipped a fingertip under the flap and pulled it open.\u00a0 It contained a single sheet of linen quality stationary the color of cream. In gold it read:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cRSVP?\u201d Wren asked.<\/p>\n
Nat handed her the card.<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm \u2026\u201d she said. \u201cI think this would be an excellent time to actually use a bit of the vacation time which the Government has so thoughtfully provided.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess we could take a week and things won\u2019t fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wren lifted an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, you, me, the kids \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathaniel, I think that this should be a father-daughter event,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe she needs you alone more than a household full of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo is hardly a house full.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have not notice how they seem to multiply?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGod, I hope not!\u201d<\/p>\n
Wren gave him a flat look.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, okay,\u201d he said. \u201cI know what you mean. How many are in the pool right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThirteen, I believe,\u201d she replied. She placed a hand on his forearm. \u201cReally, Nathaniel, you must go and get to know her \u2026 as an adult. You cannot do that with a wife and two overly inquisitive preteens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, and between you and Mal, you should be able to handle just about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMal is your deputy, not me,\u201d Wren said. \u201cI am merely arm candy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nat snorted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you just snort at me?\u201d she asked, quite seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have trouble imagining you as \u2018mere arm candy\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
She leaned closer and whispered, \u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n
*****<\/p>\n
180066977625<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mr. Ryan, how many?\u201d asked the familiar voice of the Wild Hunt\u2019s AI computer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you like to depart now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it is convenient,\u201d he replied. \u201cI have no idea the time or even the day there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you will in effect be out of communications with your family, Ghost Archer has provided these,\u201d the computer said. A tiny pair of \u2018earwigs\u2019 appeared on the floor at Nat\u2019s feet. He picked them up, examining the tiny devices. \u201cThey are capable of interdimensional communications.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty small, Spock, nice,\u201d he said. He lifted the phone away from his mouth. \u201cWren?\u201d<\/p>\n
She came fresh from a bath in a lavender robe, hair already curling. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
He held out a hand. \u201cA gift from Archer. Spock says it will allow you to talk to me while I am over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow thoughtful,\u201d she said picking up the device between two manicured nails.<\/p>\n
Nat plugged the thing into his ear where is fit along side his Minuteman unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like it molded to our normal comm unit,\u201d he told her.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as long as I don\u2019t feel like I have an ear clogged.\u201d She settled hers in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cTest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
She nodded. \u201cVery thoughtful, indeed.\u201d Her body molded to his every bit as smoothly as the two earwigs and she wrapped her arms around his neck. \u201cDo enjoy your time with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood on tiptoes while he leaned down, the differing heights no longer even noticed by either.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you need me back,\u201d he said and tapped his ear. \u201cIt will only take a moment and I\u2019ll be right back at your side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do realize that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, correct?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nat smiled. \u201cOh, yes, I have seen you in action.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her body became weightless as their lips met.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive her my love, Nathaniel,\u201d Wren said and pushed away from him to float lightly back to the carpet. \u201cNow shoo \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReady, Spock,\u201d Nat said through the phone.<\/p>\n
*****<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Nat materialized in the courtyard of a magnificent Spanish villa. On all sides were stacked boxes three and four high. At the middle, sitting on a low wall that encompassed a massive fig tree, was a young man of about 20, in his hand a clipboard with a thick sheaf of paper. He tucked the pen into the clip and laid it on the wall as he stood, hand outstretched.<\/p>\n \u201cAbout time she called in reinforcements,\u201d he said. \u201cAlways a pleasure to see you, Mr. Ryan.<\/p>\n \u201cGood to see you again, Rocky, what\u2019s it been? Four years?\u201d Nat took the younger man\u2019s hand, careful as always not to turn his bones into powder. \u201cHow have you been getting along? Working on a degree?\u201d<\/p>\n Rocky chuckled, \u201cNo time. I take care of all of Jay\u2019s assets \u2026 but she really pays well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGone to Mass,\u201d he replied, glancing at his watch. She should have been here by now.\u201d<\/p>\n The sound of the gate\u2019s latch had them both turning and Jasmine stepped through.<\/p>\n Nat had seen her in just about everything on down to nothing, but never, something like this. Beyond the overall black, the first thing that caught his eye was her makeup. She\u2019d never hinted that she might have any interest in it and the ruby of her lips against the tan of her face, framed by a black mantilla was breath taking. Wisps of her wheat colored hair hid the tips of her ears but left the matched drop pearl earrings that dangle from each lobe uncovered. She wore a bolero jacket of lace to match her mantilla over a modest length black dress Wren would have found interesting, black silk stocking and dangerous-looking black stiletto heels that might have lifted the top of her head to Nat\u2019s shoulder. In her right hand was a well-thumbed Bible and a finger-polished Rosary. In her left, a black clutch bag with a pearl clasp and the same elegant four faced watch she had been wearing the last time he\u2019d seen her.<\/p>\n As she approached he noted a subtle change in her walk. It was no longer a purposeful stride, but languid saunter he had only noted before in Wren. Passing the young man, she handed him her Bible keeping the Rosary wrapped around her hand.<\/p>\n \u201cDad dee, you came,\u201d she said with a smile, her tone of voice and inflection in sharp contrast to her usual bland California nothing. It reminded Nat of Kerri\u2019s Long Island accent. \u201cWelcome to my summer home.\u201d<\/p>\n Even in six inch heels she had to stand on tiptoes, with the hand with the Rosary against his chest for balance, but Nat helped by leaning down so she could kiss him on both cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cMatt, where are your manners?\u201d she asked the man Nat knew as Rocky. \u201cPlease have the staff serve the drinks in the lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat rocked back on his heels. \u201cYou know,\u201d he said. \u201cI vaguely recall this song a man sung about \u2018where has my daughter gone\u2019. It seems it is a story of life and growing up. One moment she is this tiny thing he held in his arms and the next \u2026 this beautiful woman. Can\u2019t you be my baby a little while longer?\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment the Jasmine he knew was back again as she gazed up into his eyes. \u201cI\u2019ll always be your little girl.\u201d She touched his cheek. \u201cSo, where are the others?\u201d The Long Island was back as she looked around the courtyard. \u201cOr do I get you all to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWren felt that multiple pre-teens running rampant might not be a good idea,\u201d Nat said, wiping his eyes. \u201cAnd she thought I might need a little time to get to know you \u2026 as an adult. Looks like she\u2019s been crystal ball gazing again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is your luggage? Has Matt settled you into your suite yet?\u201d<\/p>\n She hooked her arm into his and led him into the house.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been here all of thirty seconds,\u201d Nat said as they entered what he gathered was the lounge. A man and a woman, in the uniform of a butler and maid respectively stood waiting.<\/p>\n The room was larger than his cottage with a series of arches along one wall that opened on a portico. Overhead massive exposed beams held up a vaulted ceiling and supported six square black wrought iron and glass chandeliers. To the left was an unlit fireplace flanked by an old blackened trunk with a few books, and a small sideboard with several bronze statuettes. The center of the room held a huge low table surrounded on three side by well cushioned couches in cream and beige. At the juncture of the sofas, a matching pair of round mahogany tables held a lamp and a pair of miniature sand sculptures, two surfers on the crest of a wave, one of a girl, the other of a boy.<\/p>\n The walls of white stucco held an array of pencil and charcoal sketches Nat knew to be Diego\u2019s work. These had been arranged in such a way as to highlight an individual case study by Diego, rendered on paper, then brought to life in stone by Jessy. People, unrecognized by Nat. A church with the same remarkable detail Jessy had shown him so long ago in her castle she made for him on the first day. He, personally, wasn\u2019t exactly artistic, but he had been through enough museums with Wren to know that everything in that room deserved to be in a museum.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long can you stay?\u201d Jasmine stopped before a couch. \u201cI really need some sound advice on a few matters.\u201d She gestured that he should sit and together they got comfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cI can stay as long as you\u2019ll have me, or until some crisis develops at home,\u201d he said. \u201cJasmine \u2026\u201d He scanned the room. \u201cI have to say that this is the most amazing example of art I\u2019ve ever seen and I\u2019ve been to every major, and more than a few minor, art galleries in the world.\u201d He stood and moved over to a bust of a young girl. \u201cYour mother was \u2026 I can almost see her breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n She carefully coiled the Rosary atop the clutch after laying it on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cThis? This is nothing,\u201d she said as she unbuckled the lethal heels then kicked them off and out of sight under the table. \u201cOne of the major problems is in the vault.\u201d As she stood she pulled the mantilla off and held it out to the woman. \u201cTheresa, dinner in the courtyard, one extra.\u201d<\/p>\n Theresa accepted the lace and folded it as she said, \u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n She passed Matt and the younger man made a gesture to the butler. He sprawled onto the couch as the servant poured three glasses of a red wine from a decanter. Matt nodded to him and the man left the room.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, did you ask him yet?\u201d He said as he lifted the fine crystal to his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, he just got here,\u201d she hissed, glancing at the door and then to the open portico. \u201cI haven\u2019t got him ready yet, just hold your horses. Geez, boys!\u201d<\/p>\n Nat raised an eyebrow. That had sounded more like the Jay he\u2019d raised. She turned back to Nat and threw her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to be careful, you never know when the paparazzi are around,\u201d She whispered. \u201cI have to keep up to my image here, but I \u2018m used to it. Just don\u2019t freak when I have to be Jasmine again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLittle girl, you are telling ME about paparazzi? Did you forget to whom I am married?\u201d He chuckled and held her up, literally, for a kiss on the nose. \u201cNow, what is it that Rocky, Matt over there is not so subtly hinting that you want to ask me about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt can wait, let me show you to your suite,\u201d Jay said, striding over to the door. \u201cI thought Wren was coming so I had the Master Suite done up for you.\u201d<\/p>\n The slight bow and gesture she made after she opened the door was just not Jay. She was switching roles again on him. He stopped next to her and glanced about.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t trust your servants, why do you bother?\u201d He asked, his voice pitched low enough so as not to be overheard.<\/p>\n \u201cI will explain over dinner, Dad dee,\u201d she replied, the Long Island back. \u201cAllow me to show you just a hint of my other lives.\u201d<\/p>\n She led him, in that saunter he\u2019d noted when she\u2019d come home, along the covered colonnade to the next room from the lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cThe library, in case you have a sudden need for the printed word,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n They mounted an open flight of stairs to the gallery overlooking the courtyard with its stacks of boxes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game room.\u201d The door opened on what in the States would have been called a \u2018man-cave\u2019. Billiard table, pool table, darts, even a bar. Though spotless, it had an air of disuse. \u201cThe next two rooms are unused bedrooms, each with their own baths \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n They turned left onto a breezeway overlooking the courtyard on one side and a sculpted swimming pool surrounded by an immaculately trimmed lawn, on the other. At the nearer end, shade trees overhung a beam-covered patio with an outdoor kitchen, dining area and a lounge.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me show you your suite,\u201d she said with a touch of excitement. \u201cI thought Wren was coming so I had the Master Suite done for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe felt that we needed a little father \u2013 daughter time,\u201d he said. \u201cPlus a couple of overactive kids would have one of us chasing down behind them. Something we get enough of at home. Besides, they are still in school.\u201d<\/p>\n A second left brought them to the opposite side of the piazza, also an open gallery. This one, however, did not run the length of the courtyard but rather ended at about the halfway point with a single door set in the middle. On the right, nearly to the end of the gallery, what a set of intricately carved mahogany doors and with a touch of the dramatic, Jay pushed them wide.<\/p>\n \u201cHope this is suitable. It has just been renovated.\u201d<\/p>\n For most of Nat\u2019s life \u2018suitable\u2019 consisted of a floor, ceiling and four walls. Since his marriage to Wren, that hadn\u2019t changed, but he had become accustom to something a bit more \u2026 palatial. This room, smelling faintly of sawdust and bee\u2019s wax easily matched anything he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n The most eye-catching feature of the room for Nat was not the gigantic slay bed, though it was the focal point of the room, but the magnificently carve archway that created an alcove for the head of the bed. To accommodate the massive bed, twice the width of a California King, and all of nine feet long, the self-supporting arch was easily thirty feet wide and four feet deep.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be just next door if you need anything,\u201d Jay said as she opened the single door. On the other side was an obvious bedroom but didn\u2019t look as large as Wren\u2019s closet. When Jay disappeared inside and closed the door, Nat returned his attention to the \u2018suite\u2019.<\/p>\n To the left was an oversized, overstuffed chair with a matching ottoman in tan with a dark red leaf pattern. Like the archway, the arms and frame were of carved mahogany in the same design. Just past the chair was a massive dresser and hutch combination, mahogany and carved, again to match the archway. The far end of the room held a sitting area, complete with a fireplace flanked by two arm chairs in a burnt sienna. Two pairs of windows gave way to a view of the Spanish mountains in the near distance. To the right, an open door revealed an opulent bath that Wren would have gone all gooey over.<\/p>\n The last thing that caught his eye was a pair of doors with a glass inset. It looked to be a closet, filled with clothes, the most apparent a row of men\u2019s suits and women\u2019s gowns. He stepped inside and found far more than a few suits. Combat experience had given him a certain sense of surrounding area and this told him the closet shared a wall with the small room into which Jay had disappeared. Unlike the mahogany so prevalent in the main part of the suite, this room was lined in cider. Shelves held rows of boxes, obviously shoes, and below this three rows of drawers stacked five high. He slid one open and found an array of socks.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess packing wasn\u2019t necessary \u2026\u201d he said to himself.<\/p>\n A moment later, he tapped on the single door.<\/p>\n She heard the knock. It was so distinctive to her, the way he carefully rapped. She spoke up just enough to know only her father could hear \u201c Please enter, I am in the bathroom.<\/p>\n The room was very small in compassion to everything else he had seen. The most noted in the ocean theme room, was the sculptured single bed that sat in the middle of the wall across from him. It was made of a white wood, with hints of pale blue and sea green running through it. The side boards left no access to beneath the bed. It was carved to be ocean currents that flowed to make the foot board. The footboard was a softly rounded wave. The head board was a wooden bonnet in the form of a curl that reached over the head of bed at least a quarter of the length. Upon the curl sat Nat the surfer in the same white wood, riding the wave.<\/p>\n Positioned to each side of the bed were glass top tables in the form of water fountain spouts, made with the same white wood and green and blue streaks. On one table sat a lamp, with a very old gold pocket watch next to it. On the other table sat an intercom system.<\/p>\n To the right of the bed was a wall to wall trophy case, also of the white wood. Into it an underwater tapestry had been carved with a myriad of sea creatures inhabiting a kelp forest. The back wall of the case was nearly covered by black framed awards of academic excellence. Two glass shelves divided the space, each with a specific subject. At the top, photographs of dance recitals, and scenes from various plays. Before each was a playbill and in a few cases, the ribbon present at the time. The central shelf was dedicated to a number of wood carving, each with a corresponding blue or golden ribbon. Trophies lined the bottom of the case representing a variety of sports in which she excelled. Soccer, baseball, surfing, swimming and bowling figured prominently and stood with smaller of their ilk in seeming orbit around them.<\/p>\n Continuing around the room, behind the door he entered, was a small plain desk with a very sturdy rolling chair. On the desk sat a new closed laptop and an in-box stacked with papers waiting for her attention. Above the desk positioned to center over it was a crucifix, with three photos arranged around it. One of the photos was of her, Archer and Raven at the Hunt valley, another of her, Nat, wren and the kids with the cottage in the background, and the last had a black ribbon placed diagonal over the glass, of her, with her mom, Diego and Matt, gathered together on a beach.<\/p>\n The last wall held two closets with a small hall leading to a cracked open door. Though expertly added, he could tell this add on was the reason for such a reduction in her room size. Two sliding doors to either side of the hall allowed access to whatever lay behind them.<\/p>\n Entering the cracked door that should have been a master bedroom, his eyes were assaulted with a mini clothing store. This was not the Jay he knew. He had been lucky to get her change out of her wetsuit for bed. The temperature control unit kicked on, through the glass door he could see a selection of furs. The room was sorted in what would be considered as different social tiers. The section with the unit was surrounded by high end fashion. Closer to the bathroom door across the room was more thrift shop or hand me downs. A familiar baseball cap hung on a hook on the wall next to the bathroom door.<\/p>\n Nat finally reached the bathroom door by navigating a circuitous path and found her seated before a professional makeup station dressed in a white silk robe. Before her was a professional make up station, filled with makeup, brushes and an array of wigs. The cotton pad she wielded to remove her makeup left streaks of her natural color beneath the layer of paint. He leaned against the door jam, watching her.<\/p>\n \u201cSo \u2026 where do I start?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n She glanced up at him through the mirror, her smile too bright. \u201cTake a seat, daddy,\u201d she said, patting the counter beside her. \u201cSo did you like your room? I was only able to get the kids\u2019 rooms ready. Figured we could shop for their stuff.\u201d The smile vanished. \u201cYou can start anywhere you want.\u201d<\/p>\n He gingerly leaned his butt against the counter and crossed his arms across his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been two years since I last saw you, how long has it been for you?\u201d<\/p>\n The phone on the counter began to play an old song Nat vaguely recalled, something about Jessie\u2019s girl.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to get this, I\u2019ll be quick.\u201d She scooped up the phone and touched the screen. \u201cWhatcha need, bro \u2026 okay. Yeah, the next two rooms should be four and five \u2026 No! Not that one! Have the staff move the boxes then. NO! He\u2019s on vacation \u2026 Okay, dinner in thirty, got it, peace out.\u201d She punched the screen again and dropped the phone back on the tabletop.<\/p>\n \u201cJust two years, same as you. We are now on the same time. I felt it was time for you to know all of me, plus I was going to wait \u2018til dinner, but there is a reason other than to help me. I want you and Wren and the kids to think of this as your second home.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat mulled it over, \u201cYou keep creating more questions than you answer \u2026 can you drop me back in my San Diego right now?\u201d<\/p>\n Jay laughed as she wiped the last of the makeup off.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you really want to go, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n He paused, watching her face. \u201cIt is NOT a request, merely a question.\u201d<\/p>\n She took his hand, \u201cI have lived a very complex life, a very happy, a very fulfilling life but a very complex life. I found it was easier for me to take on roles of what I was expected to be with bits and pieces of who I am. You know mom was on me to behave, to be polite. So in your dimension I didn\u2019t have to worry about me being the one recognized I could be this me. In this world the staff takes it personally if I am not behaving to my social standing and most of them taught me what was proper, thus it is a reflection of them if I am not appropriate. Then, you have the trips with grandma to the homeless camps, Grandpa taking me out in the woods camping. Each of those worlds I kept separate, till one day it was just the way I am. Even you know several sides of me, even blunt Sandy but there are sides very few see at all. You worry so much about me and I am a grown woman. I figured if you meet all of me, you would understand. Plus I have to show you something, because I feel only you can decide what to do with them but we have days. I just want you to feel at home. Like the bed I made you? I was thinking I should have added another foot to the length.\u201d<\/p>\n She unpinned a wig from a Styrofoam head and covered her own hair with it. A comb here, a poke there, a bobby pin or two, and she was finished, the wig indistinguishable from her own hair. He noted the special attention paid to hiding her ears.<\/p>\n \u201cI watch Wren do that,\u201d he said. \u201cThe wig, when she\u2019s Giselle.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI\u2019ll stick to the short look.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne must keep up appearances when you are the Lady of the Villa Ramirez,\u201d Jay said in Long Islandese. Beneath the white robe was a black silk blouse with embroidery the color of sangria. \u201cWe can talk over dinner but no direct question, you know cloak and dagger talk till we get alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo chit-chat,\u201d he said. \u201cLucky I have had a few years of Wren training. The blouse is very \u2026 Spanish \u2026 do you address the staff in Spanish?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe eighty nine on site staff are all bi-lingual. They felt it was their duty to learn English for the Lady of the house. Most of them are generations in the positions. I am not going to crush generations of tradition. I do my part like they do theirs\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what is my part?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYour part is to be you. I want you to just be you, getting to know most of me,\u201d She said. \u201cYou haven\u2019t said if you liked your suite, nor have you told me if the bed was long enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe suite is beautiful, the bed is long enough, and have you seen how I normally dress?\u201d He said. \u201cWhat\u2019s with all the designer \u2026 stuff? For Wren, that\u2019s one thing, she\u2019ll have a whole new range of designers, but for me \u2026 jeans, slacks, a Polo shirt \u2026 I\u2019m done.\u201d His eyes narrowed. \u201cYou aren\u2019t planning a fancy ball or anything, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there is a festival in town in a couple of days. I\u2019ll be dancing in it. If we go out to eat, you will have to dress up. I couldn\u2019t have daddy going in rags could I?\u201d She paused as she tied a black wrap skirt around her waist and slid her feet into black string knot sandals. \u201cYou know if you want direct and blunt just ask me to be Sandy. Sandy tells like it is, but where is the fun in that?\u201d She fastened a ruby studded pin to the edge of the skirt.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay \u2026 what about the daddy thing. I know it is correct and prefer it, but \u2026 I don\u2019t look old enough to be your daddy. Come on, look at me, I look more like a slightly older brother. People might start thinking the Lady has got herself a boy toy.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n The laughter filled the room, \u201cThis town knows my mom and I are elves, and the villa will stand forever and village will thrive. They watched me grow up and my mom never age. To have an ageless daddy wouldn\u2019t be hard for them. They are very intelligent people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I guess it is easier for you if non-standard people are as common as they are here. People back home are already talking about me and Wren, I mean Conner\u2019s ten and Wren looks twenty. Same with the rest of us \u2026 the government thinks maybe we don\u2019t age the same \u2026 just one more reason for people to hate and envy us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot as easy as you think, daddy.\u201d Her look was momentarily pained, but she shook herself and the smile returned. \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\n She tugged on his hand and led him back through the maze to the closets where she slid one open to reveal a safe. A quick tapping of 8 7 1 on the keypad and the door popped open. From the top shelf she selected two bundles of euros and another two of pesos.<\/p>\n \u201cExchange rates make my head spin so if you need it you got it.\u201d She offered Nat the stacks.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you had cash cards here, like we do.\u201d His tone was teasing. \u201cWhy all the cash?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrandpa James had several cases of it hidden around the world. I\u2019ve had Matt collecting everything from all my properties till, we ran out of room. I just tossed all the cash in here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrandpa James?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMom\u2019s bio-dad. She wrote a book for me with all the assets he left for her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking to bio anything \u2026 your uncle, is he still a possible problem?\u201d Nat asked.<\/p>\n A dark look swept over her, but she shook her head as if to erase the pawl.<\/p>\n \u201cHe lives,\u201d she said, than under her breath.. \u201cfor now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow is that possible, Archer take a couple years off?\u201d Nat said. \u201cI may not like some of your grandfather\u2019s \u2026 choices, but I am familiar enough with him to know he\u2019d never let that man live.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he doesn\u2019t know he\u2019s alive. He travels the Road, like Grandma. I travel the Sands of Time and Space. I can follow anyone who does. When you die, your sand stream fades.\u201d She dropped her head and her voice dropped an octave,, a fierce voice. \u201cHis stream is strong. I just need to prepare for battle, for the next time we meet.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat crossed his arms. \u201cAnd what are you doing to get prepared for this battle?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, first I am taking care of my affairs so they are all in order. I am arranging Diego\u2019s heir,\u201d the fierceness returned to her voice, \u201cThen I will find somewhere to beef up my powers, unlock the others I just can\u2019t reach. When I am ready, I will hunt him down like a dog. I, as the Lady of the Sands, will remove the Lord from the stream. That is my game plan, but right now, I am only a few months into phase one. I am still working on the rest.\u201d She looked at her watch. \u201cWe are going to be late for dinner if we don\u2019t leave.\u201d The Long Island was back.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you going to do this like your grandfather, or your father?\u201d<\/p>\n The cold voice returned, \u201cYou once said, it happen on a different planet, who\u2019s jurisdiction is it? He has murdered not only mom and daddy Diego, he killed all but a handful of the Sand of Time travelers. I am the Last Lady. I have to do what I have to do but I am no fool, I will prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is not what I meant,\u201d Nat said. \u201cThis is a case of Justice, not Law. Law cannot be served because there is no single jurisdiction but clearly, something has to be done. In that your grandfather and I would agree. That is not what I was asking about. Archer and I go about things very differently. He is a lone hunter, I bring the whole damn army.\u201d<\/p>\n She sighed, her face grim, \u201cI almost got my whole team killed. We didn\u2019t have enough info.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to say this baby, but you were a bunch of amateurs. The Wild Hunt is a bunch of amateurs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n She brightened. \u201cCome on, we can talk later, food first.\u201d His word hurt but she ignored them. She was no amateur, just not trained and experienced enough for what was needed of her.<\/p>\n The courtyard was even more crowded with a line of people adding to the collection by hand and by dolly. Through the gates Nat could see a box truck was waiting with the doors open and a ramp down. \u201cThe trucks are being loaded with my baby clothes as we speak.\u201d She gestured at the procession. \u201cTomorrow \u2026\u201d Long Island was back but Nat was getting used to it. \u201cI need to show something before the auctioneer comes to collect certain pieces. Tonight, we wine and we dine, then sneak off for a talk. I do hope you are hungry. Juan is simply the best chef in this part of Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n They descended the stairs and moved along the colonnad to the dining room.<\/p>\n \u201cDiego sent him to Paris, to Le Cordon Beau.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat watched the staff roll out another stack of boxes.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many trucks you have out there?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSix,\u201d she replied. \u201cWait till Matt starts going through room four and five, that\u2019s my mother\u2019s childhood shoe collection.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat stopped just before the open glass doors of the dining room. \u201cChildhood shoe collection?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry we had to move the dinner but the courtyard is a little busy,\u201d she said, ushering him into the room. Rocky was already seated at an oval table surrounded by six very high-backed chairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up with paper plates and sand, little girl,\u201d Nat said.<\/p>\n \u201cHas she shown you the studio yet?\u201d Matt asked with a chuckle.<\/p>\n Jasmine assumed the head of the table, the butler waiting to seat her, but if looks could kill, Matt would have burst into flame. Hastily the boy took a slip of water.<\/p>\n \u201cMatthew, that is not the proper subject at this time,\u201d she said coolly. \u201cAfter all, dad dee has just arrived. You can\u2019t expect me to spring everything on him at once.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, does he know about the surrogates yet?\u201d<\/p>\n Nat could see Jay was on the edge, what the hell was the boy goading her for?<\/p>\n \u201cJorge, would you please check on dinner?\u201d she said sweetly.<\/p>\n As soon as the man was out of ear shot she rounded on Matt. \u201cRocky, if you don\u2019t want me to pound you, you had better stop trying to ruin this for me! Cut the shit!\u201d she snapped in a hiss.<\/p>\n Matt didn\u2019t seem to be all that cowed to Nat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may serve, Jorge,\u201d she called out.<\/p>\n Moments later the maid Nat had seen earlier entered, followed by Jorge. Expertly she maneuvered around the table, placing a delicious looking shrimp salad before each. Jorge, Nat noted, took up a position behind matt.<\/p>\n \u201cNormally, I don\u2019t have much call for the sections of my life to overlap, but I find it to be challenging,\u201d Jay admitted.<\/p>\n Matt picked up a fork and from the way Jorge cleared his throat, Nat almost expected the man to slap Rocky on the back of the head. The boy replaced the utensil and selected the correct one with a roll of his eyes.<\/p>\n Nat smiled at the kid. He\u2019d been on that end of social etiquette training himself not that many years ago. He selected the salad fork, just to show Matt it could be done.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what am I allowed to talk about?\u201d Matt started in the shrimp, with undisguised relish.<\/p>\n Jasmine shook her head slightly, \u201cLet\u2019s just keep things light for now.\u201d She accented his name firmly, \u201cMatthew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was in Barcelona a few years ago with Wren,\u201d Nat said. \u201cWe saw Turandot at Gran Teatre del Liceu and toured Barri Gotic. Pretty big change from Sea World.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have only been here a couple of months. Best I\u2019ve done is hook up with this hot little senorita\u201d Matt glanced at Jasmine, \u201cSomeone has me too busy to see the sights.\u201d He turned back to Nat,\u201d Hey, you want to find a bullfight to go to? I really want to catch one of those.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t been here very long, have you,\u201d Nat said. \u201cCatalonia outlawed bullfighting back in, what? 2010. Sure the Spanish government overturned it but unless it\u2019s changed in the last couple of years, no corrida de toros in this area. Why would you want to see a bullfight?\u201d Nat paused. \u201cOh \u2026 wrong \u2026 world.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt chuckled. Jay pushed her plate aside, a signal evidently and the servants cleared the table.<\/p>\n \u201cNo sweat, pops. It has to get confusing. Hell this one, big change, from Tampa, to Miami, to San Fran, to San Diego,\u201d he looked around the room, \u201cTo this. Makes your head spin. You wouldn\u2019t believe all the crap I\u2019ve found out she owns.\u201d<\/p>\n The maid swept in with the next course and though Jay\u2019s attention seemed to be on the woman, Nat could see a couple of daggers when she glanced at Matt.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, I\u2019m in Spain!\u201d Matt said. \u201cThat means seeing a bull fight!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you head over to Pamplona and join in the encierro? It starts July 6th,\u201d Nat grinned. \u201cGive you a chance to get up close and personal with the bulls. I am sure Jasmine would let you have a little sick leave after \u2026 you know, until the hoof marks are healed.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmine frowned at the lobster tail and steak the maid set before her.<\/p>\n \u201cMatthew? What is this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFigured your Dad, would want his last taste of real food, before all the traditional stuff starts flowing.\u201d He turned his attention back to Nat, \u201cI know I am not fast enough to run with the bulls. I am hoping to be back in the States by then. This fancy living is a bit too much.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat watched his daughter. \u201cMatt,\u201d he said. \u201cYou might be needing that sick leave sooner than that \u2026\u201d She was definitely not pleased.<\/p>\n Matt looked pointedly at his watch. \u201cI forgot, got a date!” He nearly toppled the chair getting to his feet. \u201cPeace out!\u201d And he ducked out the door, not quite at a dead run.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u2019 Nat thought, \u2018she\u2019s gonna pound him \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d he began. \u201cSeen any good plays lately?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally, I haven\u2019t had much time of late.\u201d She picked at the lobster. \u201cIt seems poor Matt has been overwhelmed with me taking my two year jaunt. His way of expressing it is really irritating, though I am to dance at the Festival Saturday. They are celebrating the new museum I am building.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose you have to have somewhere to display your mother and Diego\u2019s work. It\u2019s a good thing. It would be a crime for it to remained tucked away in some vault\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head, \u201cI will be donating a few pieces, than I am going to auction off a few, but some of them are going back to the original subjects. The rest will be stored.\u201d<\/p>\n She slightly looked off as you could almost see her recalling the memory. The thought brought a smile to her but also brought a tear to her eye.<\/p>\n \u201cThis one time Daddy Diego drew this old woman, with a string of children behind her. She was poor. That drawing will go to the children in it, as will other pieces. \u201cThe Vault is another matter.\u201d She glanced at the butler, than asked Nat, \u201cAre you finished? Would you like more wine or perhaps dessert?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe later,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem with the vault?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShall we take a stroll?\u201d She rose. \u201cJorge, that will be all for the evening, have a pleasant night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMadam, may I offer your father my service as his personal valet?\u201d Jorge said. \u201cFor the rest of his stay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to be you, but it would be an honor for him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Nat turned to the man, \u201cJorge, I am a California beach bum who knows about as much about what to do with a valet as you know how to get out of the Coronado a rip current.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would lay out your clothing, help you dress for daily routines, like you may swim before breakfast or jog. I would inform you of special events on your calendar and a brief summary of current affairs within the villa and the village. I would arrange for any need you might have.\u201d He paused, siding Nat up, \u201cYou could use as few or as many of my services you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYa know, as tempting as that may seem, Michaels has been trying the same lines on me for about eight years,\u201d Nat said to Jay. \u201cJorge, I appreciate the offer and if I need something I will most certainly direct any requests your way, but I am not someone used to others taking care of things for me. I\u2019ve been doing it myself all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs you wish.\u201d Jorge slightly bowed then turned on his heel, taking his leave.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope I didn\u2019t break him,\u201d Nat said, watching Jorge\u2019s stiff back.<\/p>\n Jasmine took her father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s take a stroll. Matt\u2019s right you need to see this.\u201d She led him through a portico onto the villa\u2019s grounds. \u201cSo ask away.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat smiled, \u201cAre you alive? Are you uninjured? Are you safe? Are you happy? Those are the only things that matter to me. In that order.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I don\u2019t think I became undead, so yes I am alive,\u201d she giggled as she followed an obviously familiar path into the hills. \u201cI\u2019m not bleeding out and am safe, I am walking next to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c Well, since all the important stuff is cover, what\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n They rounded a bend in the path and nat found himself before a building, that he knew could not be seen from the Villa. Jay looked up at him, her eyes seeking his.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything in this building is yours. I just want to know what you want to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMine?\u201d Nat looked at the huge barn. \u201cAre there horses in here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo horses.\u201d<\/p>\n She focused on thumbing a combination lock until it clicked open then slid the door aside. When the door hit the stops it tripped a switch and the interior was illuminated by spots from all sides, all aimed at the center of the floor.<\/p>\n Bathed in the light, the living twenty four foot gemstone statue refracted the light making the ocean curl move through the gem streaked crystals, giving it colors of the sea. A top the curl stood the crystal surfer, Nat at sixteen. The light made the stone hair move as if a breeze was running through it. It was alive, in the light. A small plaque was placed at the base, it read :I\u2019m Sorry.\u201d The only other piece of her\u2019s anything like this, that he had ever seen, was a twelve inch dancing Wren, he kept in the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took her ten years to make that,\u201d Jay\u2019s voice barely a whisper. \u201cYou should see it in the sunlight.\u201d She needed to know if he accepted, before revealing the last secret of the statue.<\/p>\n \u201cDamnit, Jessy,\u201d Nat whispered, then turned and walked out into the dark.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy there is more. I have to ask you, they are yours. Every single one she made of you I have collected to give to you, except for mine.\u201d she begged, \u201cPlease this is hard for me too. I have to show you the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstand, Jay,\u201d he says, without turning around. \u201cThe ONLY reason, I am going back in there is because YOU asked me to, so make it quick. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you don\u2019t have to go back in there,\u201d she started, she was sure it was a bad idea.<\/p>\n \u201cI said I would go!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it is best I destroy them. After all they are only rocks.\u201d Nat could see she was nearly in tears.<\/p>\n Nat fought down the anger and said gently, \u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n He followed her back into the building and to the left of the giant. Flanking the large sculpture where a series of him at the same age in various poses and of various stone, from sandstone to marble. One piece was out of place. He remembered that moment when Jessy had let him see Jasmine for the first time \u2026 in a cave she\u2019s created out of the Miami sand. The statue\u2019s arms where folded as if around a baby while over his head solid rock blocked his escape.<\/p>\n He pointed at the piece, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t she do you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was my basinet as a baby, before you started your visits. I added it because it is you,\u201d she said then glanced at the only door in the building. \u201cThis is what I needed to show you. It is from her cave she made when I was still inside her. Daddy Diego never saw these. They were hidden in her cave beneath her shop. You don\u2019t have to go in here. I will destroy them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you feel that I need to see them, which you obviously do, then let\u2019s get it over with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Jasmine pressed her thumb to the keypad three times and the lock clicked loudly. Gripping the handle, she twisted then pushed it open. Without blocking Nat\u2019s line of sight, she reached in and flipped on the lights.<\/p>\n It was a small room, perhaps once an office, but it was filled with the four sculptures. Three copies of his sixteen year-old self, nude, didn\u2019t surprise him. The fourth piece could have been something Michelangelo would have created. Again, it was him but this time stretched out on a three foot high stone slab. This work was unique in that this Nat Ryan looked broken, dead. Two concave spots was on the base of the platform, they appeared worn as if by centuries of kneeling.<\/p>\n “Tell me what you want me to do with them, they are yours.”<\/p>\n He reached over and flipped off the lights then pulled the door closed.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said and headed back outside.<\/p>\n \u201cI should have stuck to my original plans,\u201d she whispered to herself. \u201cDamn it, Matt.\u201d<\/p>\n Jay secured and locked the studio then joined him outside in silence.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy, you need a drink. I have some old whiskey in the lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat looked down at her and even in the limited light could see she was pensive.<\/p>\n \u201cLead on,\u201d he said, offering her his hand.<\/p>\n Instead of taking his hand, she hooked her arm in his. Together they made their way back to the villa in the dark, both silent. Rather than their original exit route, Jay led him around the perimeter of the ground to a patio outside the lounge. Nat stopped and settled onto a low wall.<\/p>\n \u201cCan we sit out here?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a little privacy,\u201d she said with a little shake of the head.<\/p>\n Nat rose and followed her into the lounge. She paused and locked the outside doors then crossed the room to do that same with the doors onto the courtyard. From behind the bar she retrieved four bottles. Nat dropped onto one of the couches and she deposited two of the bottles on the table before him. She sat across from him.<\/p>\n There was a faint rustling and several billion particles of sand flowed from every corner of the room. A steady stream seeped under the doors and converged on his daughter, covering her from head to toe. Her Sandy persona. One bottle she placed on the table, the other she used a sandy nail to split lead seal, then peeled it away. The cork made a faint pop when she extracted it and with a little sigh, she settled back into the depths of the couch, her back in the corner, and took four long pulls.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay I screwed that up. So what\u2019s next on the agenda?\u201d She took another swig.<\/p>\n \u201cI never had an agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but I did. I wanted to answer some questions you had 16 years ago two years ago. You said I didn\u2019t have the whole story but I had more of the story than you did. I wanted you to see, I had the whole story.\u201d She growled a little, \u201cI told Matt you were not ready. No, I had to listen to him. I am sorry if I hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI kinda figured out when you visited me the last time it was just after your mother and Diego were murdered. Of course I didn\u2019t know then,\u201d he said. \u201cYou haven\u2019t hurt me, Sandy. This is a whole other realm of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I can see that. You just didn\u2019t know my mom like I did. Otherwise you would understand. It\u2019s okay. She thought differently, expressed things different. Apple doesn\u2019t fall to far from the tree.\u201d She took another gulp making the bottle half gone. Shit happens and you move on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, even if I\u2019d known her, I wouldn\u2019t understand,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the trouble. And expecting me to \u2026 well, I am not a telepath, I can\u2019t read someone\u2019s mind, only judge by their actions \u2026 by their words.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever expected you to understand her. It would of made it easier for you to understand me if you did. The studio is your moments in time that she let me know, almost like an old photo, she could only create things she placed in her mind. The way she saw them. I wanted to give you, your moments back. I wanted you to see that I knew more of the story than even you did. The cave shit I should have turned them to sand when I found them. She would be pissed I showed them to any one,\u201d She drank a little more, \u201cDrink up big daddy. I have lots more if we need it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe saw moments, moments I can\u2019t remember,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it were photographs, I could say \u2018I remember that being taken\u2019, but since those moments were only immortalized in her mind \u2026 it would be like me asking you what you were wearing on Christmas Eve when you were four \u2026 unless you inherited her memory. I am not going to pretend to have even the faintest understanding of your mother \u2026 all that talent \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He ignored the bottles and rested his elbows on his knees.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to know what I want you to do with those statues?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get the rock crusher in there tomorrow. I don\u2019t give a shit what they are worth. Not worth me fucking up your life like\u2026\u201d She paused, the sand shifting back and forth. \u201cLike we did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you judge me to be so callus?\u201d he asked. \u201cJasmine, no matter what I think of your mother there is one thing that I cannot deny, she was a genius.\u201d He came to his feet and paced over to one of her pieces. \u201cLook at this!\u201d His fingers didn\u2019t quite touch the stone. \u201cI want those pieces, ALL of them, in a museum, where they belong. I want people five hundred years from now wondering at this KID that inspired such magnificent art. Destroy them? I could crush them for you if that is what you want, but I\u2019d do it with tears in my eyes because no one has a right to destroy a work of art, the likes of which the world will never see again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are yours. You can have them with you, stick them in a museum, or crush them to dust.\u201d She drank a little more, \u201cI don\u2019t judge you. If anyone is callus, it\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t take them to my San Diego, they would be as meaningful there as your paper money,\u201d he said. \u201cOut of context. I want one, I\u2019ll take a closer look to make my choice but the rest \u2026 here, in this world, there was a Jessy Ramirez and with Diego, they made art. Keep it all in context. When you open that museum, consider them my contribution.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen I will have the curator collect them. My suggestion would be to add her gemstone wave to the park you made. It is brilliant in the sun.\u201d She polished off the bottle and grabbed the second. \u201cIt would mean you accepted her way of saying it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are things that no one will question, like who is this unknown artist but twenty feet of gemstone?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cThat is an impossibility in my world even for any meta. As for accepting her apology? It is the only way that she can, now, so I have accept it, don\u2019t I. But let the one I pick stand for that because that is what I will be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure big daddy, no probs on this end,\u201d she looked at him still looking at the pieces in this room, \u201cTo me all this. Its paper and rocks. Stuff I hold important is already locked up so no one can touch it or see it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is more important that a glimpse into a person\u2019s soul? Because that\u2019s what art is,\u201d he said. \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter if it is stone or paper or music or dance, it separates us from the apes and machines.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome pieces, yeah, but if you knew how many they did. They seldom let any of them go.\u201d She opened the new bottle, \u201cDaddy Diego,\u201d a sand tear made a track down her cheek.. \u201cHe would just give his stuff away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d he asked. \u201cHe gave beauty, even if for a minute, to the people he drew. It doesn\u2019t matter if they were ugly \u2026\u201d he pointed to a picture of an old woman. \u201cLook as her. Every line, every crease, she earned. That\u2019s something I don\u2019t think your elves understand. Diego looked for the soul of his subjects \u2026 even his buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n She grunted as she took the first sip of the second bottle, \u201cElf, smelf, I am totally sick about hearing about elfs.\u201d She threw the bottle against a blank wall. \u201cI am the Lady of the Sands of Time and of Space. Just because I have pointy ears, doesn\u2019t mean I am just another wood elf. I am not some kind of fruit cake scatter brain. Or some overly intelligent snob looking down on others. I am the fucking ruler of the Travelers of the Sands of Time and I am…\u201d It looked like she was going to lose it at any moment. She clenched her fists counted Mississippi\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am the fucking ruler of the travelers of the sand of times. I have to kill that son of a bitch. Than try and find a half sibling, who he didn\u2019t fucking kill, to take this fucking job. Like any one listens to a fricken elf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you have to do it all by yourself, right? No one else can help you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I am here! I have to get this world shit in order. Have Diego\u2019s kid made. So, yeah my sibling with be my kid on paper so you are going to be a grandpa.\u201d She grabbed one of his bottles opening it, \u201cI have to power the fuck up, before he attacks again. The Hunt they can take care of themselves. Your dimension has you. These people are helpless. The Travelers are helpless. Like you keep reminding me I am an amateur!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think my life is nothing than frolicking in the happy elf woods, or this place. No, I have put my amateur ass out there, to make my own way. Than some fricken dragon, some Time lord, some powerful family member, has come in and fuck my life up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow am I suppose to center without Diego?\u201d her sand form cried a river of mud.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, amateur does NOT mean inept,\u201d he said. \u201cSecond, and this is something you need to understand before anything else I have told you \u2026 you are NOT alone. I don\u2019t care what Archer does or doesn\u2019t do, you are my daughter and I\u2019ll damn well bring the full power of my teams into play. I can\u2019t do the time travel thing like Archer or even move from Dimension to Dimension so if I can\u2019t get Archer to do it, you lure that shit to MY world. We set a trap for him and I\u2019ll hold him down while you do whatever you want to him.\u201d<\/p>\n The river of tears stained Sandy\u2019s face, the ocean welling her normal calm blue eyes, looked like a stormy sea. \u201cYou know I have to kill him.\u201d her voice solid. She took another drink. Confirming his words,\u201dYou would let me as you held him? Can you swear to me you would not stop me?\u201d<\/p>\n Nat\u2019s smile was predatory. \u201cCan he use his powers if he cannot touch the earth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo info on that but I have my people collecting info for me.\u201d The streaks started to fade but the eyes stayed the storming sea, \u201cThey cannot track for me but are collecting my info so I know how strong I must be. In the end, only I can remove him from the stream. Team, no team, only by my hand will he die, forever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis, my darling daughter, is what I do \u2026 my real super power \u2026 Give me everything you can.\u201d<\/p>\n She felt lost, her form slipping to flesh, as she drank a little more. \u201cI\u2019ll have Spock send you the file grandpa made.\u201d Her flesh form looked drained, her eyes redden. The tone of sadness, one he had never heard.<\/p>\n Nat took the bottle from her and set it on the table then gathered her in his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can follow you through the sand?\u201d<\/p>\n She molded to his chest, the tears seeping through his shirt, \u201cYes, I can follow him, he can follow me. Only the Lords and Ladies of sand time and space can. Sand of time can not\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you popped out, would he come out at the exact same place as you, or close by?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd to travel through the sand you must touch it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is how it works for me but I am still learning what I can do.\u201d She shook her head unable to summons whoever it was she was trying to be, \u201cI am ever shifting like the sands. I need to hold my breath longer. I can travel only thirteen minutes before I have to enter a realm to catch air. He travels nonstop.\u201d He could feel, he was now holding her weight.<\/p>\n \u201cI am betting it is the same with him, to travel the sand you have to touch the sand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am just not ready yet, there is so much to do. Matt is only one man. I have obligations when I am here. It\u2019s the biggest place they owned, we needed the room. I feel like I am wasting precious time but I have to get everything back the way it should be. I need to find my center.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no such thing as wasted time when planning,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd to go into battle in a settled state is preferable to trying to fight when all behind you that is important is in chaos. Now, tell me again why I am a grandfather?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have three surrogates lined up to have Diego\u2019s babies, so his blood lives on. There will always be a blood descent of Ramiez. Mom froze his sperm and some of her eggs. Her eggs kill his sperm but his sperm was accepted by every other egg tested. It\u2019s a Fireoak thing, has to do with the burning. So next week they are getting pregnant. On paper I will be adopting them as their mother and Jorge and Theresa will be raising them and Matt will make sure everything is paid for. So technically, my siblings will be my kids thus making you a grandpa and Wren a grandmother, all done without grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see \u2026\u201d he said. \u201cAnd whose eggs are being used?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI found a very intelligent artist, multi-lingual human to donate her eggs, she even looked like my mom if she had stayed human.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat stared off into the distance.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, daddy?\u201d Jay whispered.<\/p>\n “Nothing, just a prod, maybe from beyond the grave. How\u2019d you find this woman?”<\/p>\n \u201cShe saw the ad that Matt put up on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave you met her, in person?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been here many times. Matt put an ad up, looking for a look alike for a photo shoot. He then picked the top ten of those who applied. I was to pick who we would approach. I almost went with this one Russian girl. Than in walked April, it was a no brainier. She totally reminded me of my mom. She was willing to donate her eggs for my cause. She also made the most beautiful blown glass I ever seen. So we met many times in order to arrange everything. \u201d She half smiled, \u201cWas almost like having mom back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Why is she willing to donate eggs? And what\u2019s her background?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMatt takes care of the paper work,\u201d she had him sit down with her, \u201cI was just to pick the top three but when I approached April with my mission, she was all on board. So I didn\u2019t need to speak to the others. Diego and her egg hooked up perfect. So it looked like luck was coming back. No one can get mad at me for this. He wanted his blood to live on and I am making it so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho would get mad at you?\u201d Nat asked. \u201cThere are no other Ramirez heirs, right? And it is not like your mother’s family is going to have any say. Either of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou,\u201d she tried to get the fuzz from her brain, \u201cHe\u2019s dead he didn\u2019t give consent. Isn\u2019t it raping him from the grave? I know he wanted it. Mom couldn\u2019t, so I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait a second, what makes you think for an instant I think you\u2019re wrong?\u201d he took her hands. \u201cIn my case I was alive and never expressed a desire to have kids to keep my bloodline alive. Diego did want to pass something on, only some asshole kept him from doing that. Diego \u2026 I think Diego would say \u2018yes, I want this and thank you for making it work\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy can you carry me to bed? I think my legs fell off,\u201d she gave a sleepy drunk smile. \u201cWe can go hiking in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat picked her up. \u201cYou might want to reconsider that hiking thing in the morning. Maybe after the headache goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJorge has a cure all for that,\u201d she looked into his eyes, \u201cI love you always.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think Jorge is full of it and it is very convenient since I love you always too.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat carefully removed her shoes and tucked her under the blanket. After kissing her good night, he stood, banging the back of this head on the bonnet of the bed. He looked up and ran a finger along the edge, feeling for cracks.<\/p>\n Two faces lightly glowed above her head, one of her mother and one of Diego both looking angelic in the glowing wood carving.<\/p>\n Day 2 (Thursday)<\/strong><\/p>\n The sun had not risen, as she awoke in a silent panic. The vision in her mind had replayed yet again. The never ending nightmare of her parent\u2019s death. She arose from her cradle bed and entered to the bathroom, picking out a single piece swimsuit and a cotton robe as she walked through the closet. Looking into her mirror, she saw the wreck she had made of her wig. She discard the wig, changing quickly.<\/p>\n She could hear the staff cleaning the mess she had made of the lounge as she headed to the pool. Matt was already seated at the pools edge with clipboard, checking on his list.<\/p>\n \u201cRough night I see,\u201d he teased as she dove into the water. He waited till she topped the water, \u201cGuess you told him?\u201d<\/p>\n She lapped the pool, her long island speaking \u201cNot everything, I told you he wasn\u2019t ready.\u201d She pulled herself out of the water, the sun now peeking over the horizon.<\/p>\n \u201cJay, you can\u2019t keep going on like this.\u201d He huffed, \u201cYou need someone, and he can handle it. He can pull his big boy pants on and deal, just like you have for the past few years. At least you still have me and him.\u201d He shook his head,\u201d Fine do it your way. So did you sign any of the papers, go through the list?\u201d<\/p>\n She took a seat next to him, \u201cNo, I haven\u2019t had time.\u201d She dried her short hair patting it down to cover her ears, \u201cI trust you. Just get rid of it, if you can\u2019t sell, give it away. I have my vault.\u201d She paused, \u201cI really screwed it up last night.\u201d She called to the air, \u201cSpock please move the gemstone wave and the dead man statutes to my vault, put them in the doll house section.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo when do I get to use Spock?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, I\u2019m lucky I can. If Dad dee doesn\u2019t make this his home, there will be no more Spock use.\u201d She shook her, \u201cI still have to tell grandpa and grandma about the babies.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt wrapped his arm around her shoulder forcing her to rest his head on his chest. \u201cYou are doing the right thing. You have to keep your secrets. Sometimes I wish I was like you, so I could fight your battles, but I understand you have to do it. You have to prove to your self who you are. I get that.\u201d<\/p>\n She pulled from him, \u201cI just can\u2019t find my center.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t help you there, you had it once, and you can find it again. Give it time, just stay to what you know and stop trying to blend them.\u201d He looked to the clip board, \u201cNow back to work. I expect the stack on your desk back by night fall.\u201d Matt looked torn, \u201cI need to head to Greece, one of the holdings there is giving me troubles. I\u2019ll be back in a few days. Try and chill. Nothing is going to happen as long as your dad is here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright I won\u2019t.\u201d he shook his head, \u201cSometimes you act like a needy little princess, where is my fearless bud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe is hiding behind the princess, \u2018til trouble hits.\u201d, She put the robe on and headed to the courtyard, \u201cYou coming or are you skipping breakfast?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou kidding me, me miss food? Come on!\u201d He followed her, \u201cSteak eggs and cottage fries for us men, you get that gooey slop in an egg shell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWren tells me that there are things for breakfast other than steak and eggs,\u201d Nat\u2019s voice comes from behind an olive tree. \u201cI like creppes with cherries and melon. But right now I\u2019d settle for a cup of coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey Pops, I have to disagree. I need real protein to start my day.\u201d Matt turn a chair backwards straddling as he sat at the table.<\/p>\n Nat came to his feet and stepped around the tree wearing nothing but cut-offs.<\/p>\n \u201cGood Morning Dad dee, did you sleep well,\u201d Jasmine went to him leaning in, on her tip toes kissing each of his cheeks.<\/p>\n “I don’t need sleep” he said. “And if I do it is only with Wren in the bed. Now, what am I not ready for?”<\/p>\n Matt chuckled, \u201cGot to love that hearing you both have.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmine shot him a look, than to Nat, \u201cIt\u2019s nothing, food first.\u201d She dragged him to the table. \u201cFood first. \u201c<\/p>\n She rang a bell and the maid brought out Matt\u2019s requested meal for them. Jorge handed Jasmine a glass of red liquid.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I get to hear all about it on our little walk-about?\u201d Nat suggested, taking a sip of coffee.<\/p>\n She downed the glass of red liquid, her face scrunching up, whiskey didn\u2019t make her blink but whatever was in that glass must have been disgusting.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still have to pick your statue. Than I thought you might like to go to the village and pick up gifts for the family. You never know when you might be called back. We can take the mini van.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t take that thing, take the limo!\u201d Matt suggested, \u201cYou would think they would have bought some descent cars.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, a couple hours of sightseeing, maybe pick up a few gewgaws, crating up a statue, that kinda thing?\u201d He bit into a slice of toast. \u201cThat the itinerary?\u201d<\/p>\n Jorge was staring Mat down as he ate his breakfast. Matt talking with his mouth half full, \u201cYeah, don\u2019t let her get you off track, she is great at avoiding. You guys need to take a hike.”<\/p>\n Jasmine eyes slanted at him, \u201cI thought we agreed my way.\u201d Matt shrugged grabbing his clipboard, \u201cHave to go inventory baby shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat pointed at the glass of whatever, \u201cThat stuff work? How\u2019s the head?\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmine watched Matt leave as she nodded, \u201cNo headache.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat grabbed a piece of toast as he climbed to his feet and took a bite.<\/p>\n \u201cGood, but a little fresh air wouldn\u2019t hurt, I imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n He dropped the unfinished toast on the plate and turned to her with a grin. Without a word he scooped her as he had the night before.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich way is the vault?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI forgotten you don\u2019t need as much sleep as everyone else. I was on day four last night. I should be good on sleep, unless we go clubbing.\u201d She smiled in his arms, \u201cWe need to dress for hiking I can not go out like this. Jorge, please set out the hiking gear for Dad dee.\u201d The butler bowed and disappeared. \u201cOkay to my room, I\u2019ll hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat set her on her feet. \u201cDon\u2019t make me drag you kicking and screaming. You know Matt will tell me where it is \u2026 and what\u2019s wrong with the way I\u2019m dressed?\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed, \u201cHumor me and change. As for Matt spilling the beans on the vault, he can\u2019t. I never took him there. It has always been off limit except to me and mom.\u201d A flash of worry swept over her, \u201cDon\u2019t you think you had enough for one visit? You might end up …\u201d She stopped in mid sentence. \u201cLet\u2019s go change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t play games, Jasmine, that\u2019s why Wren and I have such a great relationship. I don\u2019t let my teams play games either so unless you are planning to try to beat me at chess, don\u2019t open your mouth without finishing a sentence.\u201d He said sternly. \u201cWhat\u2019s the worst you can say?\u201d<\/p>\n The air lifted in the courtyard as she struggled to stay Jasmine and still tell him what he wanted, \u201cI don\u2019t want to over load you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor God\u2019s sake, Jazz, I can lift an aircraft carrier, just how big is this secret?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome with me,\u201d she took him up to her room close door behind him. \u201cThere is family secrets that are generation old. Grandpa took care of some of it but there is a ton.\u201d The Sandy form breezing in. \u201cI really wish I could stay like this with you. Everyone knows if you have evidence of a crime and you don\u2019t turn it over you are an accomplice right! Well I am an accomplice than. I could of have tossed my own mother in jail with what I have. So your reaction is fucking scaring the crap out of me. You barely were able to handle the studio and that was a gift. I can never show you mom\u2019s life. All of that is in my vault and much, much more\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid she break any laws on my world?\u201d he asked. \u201cNo, so I have no jurisdiction. Would I make a morality call? No, because I can\u2019t without a lot of information. Would I let you kill that man on my world? Yes, I would, not because of who you are but the fact he is an evil creature who as come to my world to kill someone there, you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrust me, the information on all is detailed. I\u2019ll take you because to understand me, you have to understand a lot of shit I have had to deal with after they died. I will not be showing you my mom\u2019s life. I think you have had enough of her already. \u201d She paused, \u201cI don\u2019t think you are ready to handle any more than I have already shown you. I am not going to fuck up this visit anymore than I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you tell me one more time that I can\u2019t handle it, I am going to spank your ass.”<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you could try,\u201d Sandy snickered, \u201cGo get changed. I\u2019ll meet you at your room.\u201d<\/p>\n She entered her closet shutting the sliding doors, listening for him to leave before grabbing clothes.<\/p>\n Nat scowled at the clothes laid out on the bed. In particular, he eyed the boots. \u201cAin\u2019t happenin\u2019 Jorge.\u201d He said and grabbed a pair of cross trainers. \u201cAnd what is supposed to go in this thing?\u201d He tossed the knapsack in the closet. In under a minute he was dressed and testing out the feel of the sneakers.<\/p>\n A knock came on his door almost as soon as he finished. The look was again different from what he was use to. She wore skinny jeans, cotton plaid shirt, hiking boots, that would of matched his and a straw hat. On her shoulder she carried a backpack with ropes hooked to the outside of it. She looked at him with approval, even with the shoe change.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, what\u2019s the backpack for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a ways to hike and we need our supplies, food, water and the ropes for you. I have to use the emergency entrance for you. Where’s your bag?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the closet, on the floor,\u201d he said. \u201cPlanning on leaving the planet or something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo but we will be spelunking for a bit at the end. Hope you are not afraid of small closed in places.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf it gets too tight, I\u2019ll just flex.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t suggest that. I can\u2019t swim you in and out like mom could have. You cause a cave in, I\u2019m screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, no picking up the mountain, huh?\u201d He shrugged. \u201cLead on.\u201d<\/p>\n She took his hand and led him down the servant\u2019s stairs and out the back. He could see the far distant landscape of open land with spots of woods. \u201cDaddy Diego loved to hike with me. He said it was cleansing to the soul.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorta like me just sittin\u2019 on a board out past the break line,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t get to do that as much as I used to. Responsibility sucks sometimes, right? Usually I just do it as night \u2026 never anyone out there then. Sometimes, Wren will come with me but hell, that wet suit gets uncomfortable for her so I usually pack it in before she gets hypothermia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes! That\u2019s an understatement.\u201d she kept him on an unmark path she knew by heart, the weeds and grass had long ago covered any trail that might have been.\u201dI use to love my summers here, except I missed Matt. He never got to come here, \u2018til, well \u2018til now.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat chuckled, \u201cHe came to my place, what was the difference?\u201d<\/p>\n She half smiled; he could tell she was struggling with something. \u201cMatt was our neighbor in Miami, than we hired his mom and brought them with us to Tampa. He never wanted to come here. He said it was my princess house and he was no prince.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have a problem and I don\u2019t want to hurt you when I tell you. It\u2019s just the way my life was and no slight was meant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJeezus, girl, I am your father, you should feel like you can tell me anything. You aren\u2019t dying, right? You pregnant? You\u2019re a lesbian? You\u2019re gonna have a sex change? Usually when a daughter starts talking like this it is something like that. Or they have a boy-friend I will kill on sight. But you know, none of it would matter, I\u2019d still love you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to think of how I see my different lives. With you I am Jay your happy little beach bum. When I am Sandy, well you know Sandy. Just like you know a little of Matt\u2019s Jay. You do know points of some of my lives when they overlap but each person brought out a different life.\u201d She paused, \u201cI had a center back then.\u201d She keep her pace leading further and further into the splendor of nature. \u201cDaddy Diego was my center, he made everything happen for me, he made me feel like I was just one. I feel so fracture. I can\u2019t find my center.\u201d The tear rolled but she stayed calm.<\/p>\n Nat puts an arm around her shoulder. \u201cYou think I don\u2019t see different aspects of you? It\u2019s in everything you do, but all I see is you, no matter what persona you have to play. If you want to be Sandy for me, that\u2019s okay, if you HAVE to be Sandy on me, that\u2019s okay too. I\u2019d say that you need to be yourself, but you are \u2026 this complex person is only one, but she\u2019s an onion.\u201d He smiled. \u201cMany layers, all of them my daughter. Was that as bad to you as it sounded to me?\u201d He kissed the side of her head. \u201cNo matter, to me, you\u2019re just Jay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI miss them, so much.\u201d The tears came more, her head leaning against him as she kept them heading over hills. \u201cThe angry and hate fed me for a long time. I stayed in Sandy form for almost the whole two years I have been gone. I don\u2019t feel right in flesh anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat stopped and turned to take her in his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen that man is dead, you can let the anger and hate go but you\u2019ll always miss them,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t kill the people responsible from my mom, and Wren\u2019s parents, but I sure as hell could destroy them and it felt good. Let\u2019s get through what you need to do here, then we can put an end to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am only in phase one, starting two and looking for the third phase. Not easy to find a good fit for me. I have ground rules.\u201c She held on to him in a grip of most her strength, \u201cI have the only weapon that can erase him and it only works if I wield it. At least that is what I was told. If it works, he will be forever gone. His whole stream will vanish. It\u2019s in the vault with the rest of the weapons.\u201d She let him go and pulled him further along.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean a good fit?\u201d he asked. \u201cGround rules for what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne, if these idiots think I am going to share my real look and name and hang out at the bar with them in flesh. They can take a leap. They hired Sandy. Need to know and they don\u2019t need to know. Two I am not the leader or the paper pusher, just a grunt. I already have too much shit I will be taking care of on the side, I don\u2019t need to be wiping everyone nose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike I told Mark Law once, you\u2019re leader or you\u2019re not, you can\u2019t fake it and having the loudest mouth doesn\u2019t grant you any special consideration.\u201d He looked at her. \u201cDid you find people looking to you for what to do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll the time \u2026\u201d Her being was changing as she spoke, the sands sweeping over her, \u201cThree I can\u2019t be in a family team. I need a team that don\u2019t know who my family is or family that will throw themselves in as a shield. I can\u2019t pump up when I am being protected.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat family thing only works if you don\u2019t get involved with the team,\u201d he said. \u201cMy team, first the Legacy, then the rest, became family. Hard to avoid. The hardest rule I had to beat into everyone\u2019s head was \u2018you do your job first, and then worry about the rest of us after\u2019. I have to be the example for that, what with Wren on my team but I know she can handle anything anyone throws at her,\u201d he grinned. \u201cShe reminds me often enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that, I was close to my last team and nearly got those all killed.\u201d She paused, \u201cThat\u2019s when I knew I had to call for back up. If I didn\u2019t they would have all died.\u201d She stopped on a pile of sand atop the hill they just climbed. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t interested in them, he was after me. So I got him to chase me but I told you this story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you nearly got them killed how? Because this man was after you? Did you know it at the time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, there were a couple attempts on me by hired thugs, we got one to talk. He didn\u2019t have all the details, like why this guy wanted me dead but we found out who he was, than it was a game of tag. Little info here and there till by accident we found him. He monologue me the whole low down as he was killing my team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWAS killing or TRYING to kill? Who was your leader? Or did you have to jump in?\u201d<\/p>\n She sighed, \u201cBy than I was stuck with the job, NOT ONE of them did what I said. I kept telling keep to your partner double team one dodge the other. Grunt was my brick, I tossed things up and he smashed when they hit. No one wanted to sync up, we needed to sync up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me what would be a perfect team for you? How many in it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFour to five man team. You need your muscle, you need your mentalist, me, the techno geek that hopeful has powers and the guy in charge that spouts off the task and we take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat flexes a bicep. \u201cMe muscle,\u201d he said \u201cBut I\u2019m also the one in charge. What\u2019s your role?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh! I got another rule, I am not a Charlie’s Angel. This group better be a mix!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat means you don\u2019t want to be looked at as a sex symbol, or you don\u2019t want all women?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the kick-ass sand surfing bitch that is going to fuck their bad up. No way will I join a chick flick. I might as well stay here and raise kids to prepare for battle.\u201d Sandysaid as she sat on the bare top of a hill.<\/p>\n Nat frowns, \u201cMy team is eight women and four men. Does that make it a chick flick or a harem?\u201d He sat beside her. \u201cAnd I meant what is your roll, not what you can do. I\u2019m the designated \u2018target\u2019, my job is to draw fire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do realize, this hike was just a ploy to spend time with you?\u201d Sandy played with the sand she sat on.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I could have flown us here in a few minutes \u2026 so, we there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Til you leave, I have use of Spock. I can just have him teleport us in. So your choice do I show you the secret way in or we go poof?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, let\u2019s take the hard way,\u201d he grinned. \u201cGotta remember, I don\u2019t have access to Spock or anything like it. So I am used to getting there under my own power.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay please move three feet down the grass area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree feet, huh?\u201d He obliged and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.<\/p>\n Once he is safely away she disappears into the hill. A moment later a geyser of sand erupts like a fountain and forms a respectable pile that resembles a giant ant hill. It takes under a minute and when the sand settles Sandy is sitting on top of the mound.<\/p>\n Nat spits sand and brushes it out of his hair. \u201cNow I feel like I\u2019m back home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo your options, you can have me seal this up, you jump down or I push you in?\u201d<\/p>\n Stepping over the opening, Nat gives her a little wave and stepped into the hole.<\/p>\n \u201cAHHHHH!!! OUCH!!! HEY!!! STOP!!!\u201d<\/p>\n Silence then, \u201cYou didn\u2019t remove the spikes! Now I\u2019m gonna walk funny for a week!\u201d<\/p>\n Sandy dives back down through the sandy coming out of the earth wall next to him. \u201cWho moved my spikes?\u201d She snapped a glow stick handing it to him. \u201cI see fine in the dark but you might need this to find the runes we marked the path.\u201d She set out down the cavern.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we there yet?\u201d he teased.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to hear it, you picked the hard way not me. We could have gone poof,\u201d She paused at an intersection and nodded to the floor. \u201cDaddy, down here, see that flat house shape. That is how you know which turn to make.\u201d The symbol glowed slightly under the light of the stick.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is all natural? Or did your mother do it?\u201d He ran a hand over the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been in this part in years, mom showed me in case I needed to get Diego down here. Most of the caves were here but mom did modify. She had to make some parts more stable.\u201d<\/p>\n A few turns later and they stood before a huge metal door with combination lock and the wheeled handle.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, where\u2019s the spelunking part?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was if I wanted more time. There are the other paths to get here, Welcome to my vault.\u201d She dialed the three numbers and spun the handle, than tugged on the handle the extra dirt hindering opening the door. Nat reached over and gave it a \u2018gentle\u2019 tug.<\/p>\n The door opened with a dim light turning on to reveal a maze of paths through stacks of racks filled with boxes bins. He could see a faint light show in the far corner his stone gem head glowing in a moonlight phase the hair blowing, over the tallest stack of pallets.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in hell do you have down here?\u201d<\/p>\n The boxes spaced just a few feet up to reveal an arsenal of weapons, some 30 years old, some new and some modified. \u201cThat\u2019s my weapons cache.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have everything important and secret here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlanning to start a war?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I will just kill one\u201d She looked down the long double side racks of weapons. \u201cI was hoping you would take most of this home with you. It would raise too many questions if I tried to sell them off here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd exactly why would I take them home with me? And why would you want to add to the cache of illegal weapons already on the world market? Why don\u2019t you just destroy them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s face it, you never have enough funding for a team. When you can get a weapon, any weapon is better than none. I figured you could give them out to the new guys or use them for spare parts. In the right hands, they are a tool for Justice,\u201d Sandy looked him in the eye, \u201cMy grandfather was a lord of sand of time and space, a hit man and a weapons dealer, If I didn\u2019t collect them, who knows where they be. I was just trying not to waste anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do understand that we have an entire government behind us, right? We\u2019re not some loose group of individuals struggling along on what they can skim from the drug dealers they bust.\u201d Nat pulled down a machinegun. \u201cI spent the better part of six years fighting people and all they really had was this. We are metahumans, we ARE weapons.\u201d He tied the gun\u2019s barrel into a tight knot as easily as if it were overcooked spaghetti. \u201cThis was what I did with any HARP armory we found.\u201d He tossed the weapon into a corner.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay that takes care of the weapons, I\u2019ll have them gone by morning.\u201d She moved to the next opening, \u201cThis is all the body armor we had collected, that\u2019s right no one on your world needs them either.\u201d She stood like a statue, no readable expression on her smooth out face. \u201cThis was a bad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJazz, what do you want me to do? Have Spock beam all this stuff to the cottage? Honey, most of my teams wear body armor, if you\u2019ve got something better, I\u2019d love to have it. Your tech is usually higher than mine and I am sure Q would got ape shit. Show me what you consider the best of the best. In fact, if you have something that generates a force field …”<\/p>\n \u201cForce field is the electronic section. Most of this armor was better than my teams starting gear, than we have the plates for robo cop suits.\u201dHe could tell in Sandy\u2019s voice something was eating at her, even Sandy though blunt, held things in when dealing with her big daddy.<\/p>\n \u201cSpit it out.\u201d Nat picks up a piece of armor and inspects it. \u201cHow the hell did you get all this stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother left me ledgers of all my grandfather\u2019s assets, I had Matt start with the legal stuff, I took the illegal.\u201d She just stared at him and let it out, \u201cYou insulted me, hurt my feelings and pissed me off to boot. I am not my grandfather, you just assumed that when I said sell, it meant illegally. I can\u2019t even give them to anyone here. There is not one shred of paper work to let me. I wanted to do something good but you made it out in your one little sentence that I was going to jump sides. What kind of person do you think you raised?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know about the laws on your world,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my world, selling ANY of this stuff would be illegal. That is the law as I know it. Maybe you can sell this stuff at Christies for all I know. And even giving it away would be illegal for me. You talk of paperwork, I\u2019d have a mountain if I tried to even turn it over to my government, and about two years of trying to explain where it came from. No one there except a very few have any idea there are alternate dimensions. Are the law different here? You could just tell me that and not assume that I am up to date on yours. Hell, you\u2019ve had meta-humans, mutant, aliens, elves and God knows what else on this planet for eons. There are maybe a thousand on my world \u2026 you know what they classify us as? Weapons of mass destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n Carefully he places the armor back on the shelf.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have \u2018plans\u2019 to deal with us if we ever go rogue \u2026 it involves nukes and \u2018possible\u2019 civilian casualties. In fact, we found out about it when our last president wanted to exorcise that option because I refused to take my team into North Korea and take out their leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know I am, a weapon,\u201d she inhaled so deep the sand visibly shifted along her sand breast bone. \u201cI needed help with vault because the crimes of the grandfather now fall on me to clean up. I need advice not judgments. You don\u2019t want free shit than just say no, doesn\u2019t matter where it came from it\u2019s all my crap now. Now as for the armor I can Spock t-port all the armor to the cottage you can call Wren and have her truck it out. It will be a tight squeeze for the exto skeleton. Some of this stuff is also what my different teams had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want advice, let me wad it all up in a ball, get Wren here, have her cancel the gravity on it and I\u2019ll throw it into the sun. I wouldn\u2019t want a single piece of this to fall into the hands of those idiots on my world. They\u2019d reproduce it and it would spread like the plague. And if it is stronger then what my teams could handle \u2026 well, then it is easier to get rid of all the WMDs running around free. Only reason that we ARE still free is because no prison could hold some of us. And what\u2019s this judgment crap? Because I draw a conclusion without all the facts I am judging you? That\u2019s an assumption, kiddo. If I have all the fact first, then it is a judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo I will handle it from here lets go back to the villa.\u201d The tone was flat.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanted advice, that\u2019s my advice. Don\u2019t let it loose on your world, either \u2026 I\u2019ve seen some of it, and it\u2019s already pretty screwed up. Is this what had you worried? The fact that you have an arsenal? That it is the product of criminal activity?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly the tip of the ice berg. But I can\u2019t just destroy everything. Something\u2019s are not just rocks and paper. I keep saying that you weren\u2019t ready. I guess the truth is I am not ready.\u201d She stopped, \u201cI don\u2019t think you can understand what all this means to me and then have all this other shit dumped on me. I am just me, having to do the job of Archer. Without my fucking center!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo sit down and explain it to me, no bull, just straight talk, no hints, no allusions, just hit me with it hard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, my center.\u201d Sandy slid down the wall of boxes to the floor, \u201cGrowing up, I wanted to see you, Diego made it happen, I wanted time with mommy, Diego made it happen, every aspect of my life Diego made it happen. I come home after pounded out some bullies, Diego knew what to do. Every time I felt the splintering of my lives, Diego pulled me back. I centered my life around him. He knew every dark secret and every joy of everything. He understood the weird way I think, just like he understood my mom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe had sixteen years to learn how to be your father,\u201d Nat holds up a hand. \u201cHe also had sixteen years to learn how to understand your mother. You grew up with him right there, any time you needed him. He was the one to scare away the monsters under the bed and bandage your scrapes. And because he was who he was, you got a great father. All I ever gave you was the fun stuff. All I ever saw from your mother \u2026 I only knew her for a very short time. How can I suddenly develop into Diego? I can\u2019t and I won\u2019t because you can\u2019t treat me like him. I don\u2019t have sixteen years of earned trust and share experience. I thank God you had him \u2026 and your mom had him. No man could have been luckier then to have Diego raise his child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNO, you were just as important as he was, don\u2019t be cutting yourself short just because he held a different importance in my life. I didn\u2019t need two centers. Your center is Wren. I know it. I accept it. I know I am not less because she is your center. Doesn\u2019t take away the 18 years of my life that I am still sharing with you, doesn\u2019t make me second fiddle.\u201d Sandy stood back up.\u201d It doesn\u2019t solve my problem, every time I go flesh I keep trying to merge it all together. I tried to center on Matt but there are some things I can\u2019t tell him. Matt thinks I could center with you if I gave you the chance. I think that\u2019s why mom went to a shrink.\u201d she shrugged, \u201cNo way I could share with someone like that.\u201d She paused adding. \u201cAn outsider.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never considered myself less important than Diego,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is just logical that you would be very close to him, and that you could share with him. It is a simple matter of trust. I am NOT saying that you don\u2019t trust me, but honestly, look at the facts. Even now you can\u2019t open up to me because I\u2019m not ready, or you\u2019re not ready. It a leap of faith now, Jazz. You gotta just have faith in me. And by the way, my center isn\u2019t Wren, it is family.\u201d<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t argue she just continued, \u201cIf I didn\u2019t have faith in you, you wouldn\u2019t be here, in this vault. You said he raised me, he didn\u2019t do it on his own! You are in there too. I only had three people in my inner circle and you where one of them. You are my daddy. Kind of hard to tell ugly secrets to your father. If you don\u2019t think you can help me center, its okay. It is a tall order. I know no will ever replace them. I was just throwing out a line to snag an anchor till I can deal with all the emotional crap. I can\u2019t fight like I have been, the anger changed just like the hate did, it went deeper, the more I go back to flesh and I can\u2019t use it to center any longer. I want to kill this son of a bitch, I am going to but you didn\u2019t raise a fool.\u201d She sighed, \u201cGod I don\u2019t want to go to the outer inner circle. Look you can forget about all this. We can just go back to what you are use to. I will work it out. I have always found a way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTry one,\u201d he said. \u201cTry one ugly secret.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see mild one involving the vault. I have evidence that would put a lot of powerful people in jail. I know there is a group who is still looking for it. We accidently crossed paths while I was dealing in some of the collecting. I know my mom showed grandpa and he took care of some of them but is it justice to pick and choose?\u201d She looked at him, \u201cI choose to do nothing and just sit on it all like my mom did but even if I didn\u2019t there is no one I can give it to. They are powerful people.\u201d She closed the door, turning the handle, he could hear soft mechanized gears moving in the caverns. She turned and started walking back to the maze. \u201cDid you know my mom made hits with her real father, she killed a few hundred men women and children before archer found her at six.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat didn\u2019t make a move when she indicated she wanted to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see,\u201d he began. \u201cI had proof that the President of the United States tried to influence me, personally, to use my powers and that of my teams in a covet way outside the boundaries of the United States after I forced the Congress into very specifically limiting our powers to only internal matters. Said President actually ordered me to kill the sitting head of a foreign government. I have recordings of it, both audio and video. Said President demanded that I swear allegiance to HIM personally, not to my country. Since I had already sworn to uphold my nation, which was priority. It pissed him off, he wanted to fire me. I told him good luck with that since the whole team would quit. I also told him it was all recorded to which he demanded that I give him the recordings. Once more I told him good luck with that. At that point I could have taken down the government \u2026 but it would have destroyed more than one idiot. I kept silent and he was voted out in a landslide. I\u2019m not Archer, I can\u2019t \u2018take care of them\u2019 so yeah, I understand your problem but if your hands are tied, you do what you can. And as for your mother killing hundreds? I am shock that it is that many, but not surprised. Her father was an amoral killer with no qualms about using his daughter. Both our worlds have seen too many instances of children bring used as weapons. It sort of explains her morality.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou coming? Or do you like sitting on the floor?\u201d She pointed down a passage. \u201cThis way.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat obliged and followed her.<\/p>\n She weaved him past other openings, glancing quickly he could see there was nothing she didn\u2019t have here. The smell of saw dust hit him from one boxed in area. It looked like a wood shop but she kept him moving. \u201cI will show you grandpa\u2019s doll house. Mom said you have been there before. I was thinking the kids could have my carousal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I\u2019ve seen a bit.\u201d He said.<\/p>\n She enters a corner of the warehouse, the rows of dioramas exactly set up as they had been in the Hunt doll house, the hand carved Carousal at all pristine animals to ride, the work table exactly position as it been. \u201cThis is grandpa\u2019s doll house that he left my mom, so she would have protection.\u201d Each box held a scene of a hit. With the people who hired them in the right corner and hit man to left. All hand-carved dolls. \u201cEach box has a number that goes to a file in the next section.\u201d She fingered one of the dolls. \u201cIs it just wood or is it art or is it the curse of my bloodline?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe made my mom that carousal. How could you look at it and think monster? He told her there is \u2018us\u2019 and there is \u2018them\u2019. That part makes sense to me,\u201d she told him. \u201cDoes it make sense to you?<\/p>\n Sandy took a seat sidesaddle on a horse. \u201cDo you remember the summer that Rocky didn\u2019t come with me when I was fourteen? That was the summer we broke up. He wanted to kiss me and I broke his jaw.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI suspected something, the break up, but broken jaw?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, his eighteenth birthday party,\u201d Her sand face became more defined as she recalled the moment, \u201cHe had been distant with me on and off because of age difference. His friends called me a kid. So he had to hang on the sly. I thought it was stupid since I was in the same classes but no. I was a kid. He invited me to his party, toward the end couples started pairing off. Two of his buddies where trying to flirt with me. Like I would ever hang with turds like them. Matt took me to his room to get them to leave me alone. We had sat on the bed like always and he leaned over to kiss me. I backhanded full strength and broke his jaw. Buds don\u2019t make out. I haven\u2019t laid a finger on him since.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure that \u2018buds\u2019 is all you are to him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was in the terms and conditions of our recirculation agreement. I am a damn Fireoak, as such I will know when I get cursed to some relationship. Matt is not the one, nor do I ever want him to believe he can be. He\u2019s my best friend and that is all I can ever be with him and he knows it. It\u2019s in the agreement he will marry by twenty five and I\u2019ll make sure he is hooked up with someone. I\u2019m not very good at picking them. Longest one lasted four months. He said they get boring.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be a tough act to follow, Jazz. Much as I hate to give you maybe bad idea, why don\u2019t you have Archer alter that gene? He can pretty much do anything else with DNA,\u201d Nat suggested. \u201cDoesn\u2019t have to change everything, I am sure he can find one single strand of DNA that\u2019s responsible and turn it off. Besides, you’re only a quarter Fireoak, right? How do you know you are doomed to your mother\u2019s.\u201d he stopped his sentence. \u201cHow did you end up with the Traveler thing? Archer changed your mother’s DNA before you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne Grandpa isn\u2019t messing with any more DNA on the Ramirez side of the family ever again. Two, because I have the living flame in me, which makes me a Fireoak, no flame, no Fireoak. Josho is not a Fireoak. Three, when he changed her DNA, he didn\u2019t remove the other he just added in, that\u2019s why my mom kept her hair blonde. She had the power of time but their DNA was dominate and suppressed it. He woke mine up by changing me back and forth. At least that is how it was explained to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a pretty fucked up system, this Fireoak thing. Immortal beings doomed to be stuck with the same mate forever and only able to have children by one person. What if one of the pair dies?\u201d Nat waves it away with a hand. \u201cNever mind.\u201d He gestured at the houses. \u201cThis is what you meant about powerful people and having something that could put them away. He kept records, names, places, the deal \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything, even recordings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re stuck, like me \u2026 what do you do with the evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n Sandy stood, moved across the area to next to the bench and then pointed at a federal building exploding. The two hit men, Jessy at 6 and her father. \u201cWhat should I do about this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou find out the details,\u201d he said. \u201cHow many killed? Who ordered it? What was the reason for it? Regardless it cannot hurt your mother anymore. And she was just about six \u2026 But honestly, I\u2019d do what I am going to do when I get home \u2026 turn the bastard in. How many of these people that hired your grandfather ever paid for their crimes? How many people out there are still wondering why someone killed their loved ones? How do you feel with your uncle still on the loose? Can you rest? Do you have closure? How would you feel if someone withheld evidence that could put the man behind bars or on death row?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat has been my dilemma and I am not sure what it will do to the Hunt. Grandfather took care of some of these but left so many undone. Where is the Justice? I have always found Grandma and Grandpa quite confusing. I love them dearly. I loved my time with them. Grandma said not to worry, that I just think different, like my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave Archer tell you which he handled, then turn in the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t give up the dolls, they were special to my mom. I thought the kids might get a kick out of the carousel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe carousel,\u201d he considered. \u201cThere\u2019s room at Malibu but the dolls and stuff, you only need to turn over the files. I suppose there are files from around the world? A lot of jurisdictions then and some of those jurisdictions might just bury the stuff, like Russia or China.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will never need it.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat smiled, \u201cYou know we will never get Katie off of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have no use for it, it should be enjoyed, and it was a labor of love. As for the files that\u2019s what I am afraid of, who can I trust with them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I\u2019ll do with my tapes \u2026 Internet. It\u2019ll cause a huge scandal, the guy will probably keel over with a heart attack when his stocks hit rock bottom. I\u2019ll take some serious shit for not turning it in when it happened but people will get over it. Of course it will all be faked \u2026 and I\u2019ll be \u2018the Lyin\u2019 Giant\u2019 or some such shit \u2026\u201d Nat shrugs.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the blood money I have been setting up foundations in the States and here to help the homeless, food banks, and college funds for those who need it. The village here will get one student a year a four year scholarship to whatever college they can get into to. I built a meta jail here already. No good for you or grandpa but most of them it can hold. Than the museum and the new church.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet with James, he taught Wren and me a lot about foundations and scholarships and it is a great idea to turn any \u2018blood money\u2019 into something that does good, but you will have to watch out. There are people who lost family that will try to sue YOU for that money, for recompense, damages, whatever, if they know your family was involved and that you have money from it. Even if they don\u2019t know about the money, they may try to sue you anyway. You might want to do everything anonymously.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is another reason why not to turn in the files. Those files are a curse, damned if I do, damned if I don\u2019t, \u201c Changing subjects she added, \u201cMatt has already set everything up, I don\u2019t know if he got Uncle James help. I really wish he would finish college. He was 4.0.\u201d Sandy’s form shifted to flesh, “I need to warn Matt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFire his ass, tell him to come back with a degree,\u201d Nat offered. \u201cWhat do you need to warn him about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreece, I only told him not to go, I didn\u2019t tell him why.\u201d She looked at her four face time piece, \u201cDaddy, this place is full of secrets of three life times. It will take days to show you everything. I really need to get to Matt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy shouldn\u2019t he go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember I told you about a group still looking for this doll house, they are in Greece. He is having troubles with holdings in Greece. I just asked him not to go and was to distracted to tell him why.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo they might be a danger to him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, It just hit me, I can\u2019t believe I am slipping like this,\u201d she closed her eyes summoned the sand back. \u201cBig daddy we have all the time in the world to go through this. Mind if I poof you to the Villa and you find Matt\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd do what with him? Tell him what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust make sure he is still here. He tells me one thing and goes off and does something else just to get a rise out of Jasmine. I don\u2019t think he likes me like that. If he is alone tell him that the Da\u2019tant is in Greece and forget that asset totally. I\u2019ll close the hole and head back after you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can fly back, no need to spread out my atoms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen let\u2019s go, the path has changed, get your glow stick ready.\u201d Sandy hurried him through the maze back to the door.<\/p>\n Once back at the bottom of the hole, Nat does a little hop and lands outside.<\/p>\n \u201cSweet Spock, please deliver the Carousal to Nat\u2019s home in Malibu.\u201d Sandy requested as she filled the hole. \u201cMind giving me a lift?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t tell Spock to deliver it without having a place to put and at least a warning Wren.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat picked her up and oriented on the villa, then leapt into the sky. After a short interval he rotated his body and lands on the lawn beside the pool.<\/p>\n \u201cToo late, it\u2019s on the deck.\u201d<\/p>\n “Were there any KIDS out on the deck? Did the deck chairs and stuff get moved?\u201d Nat raises a hand, \u201cHold on \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n “You got the deck chairs, two tables, and nearly got Michaels. It is morning there, just like it is here. Oh, and the deck couldn’t take the weight. It was made for people, not carousels.”<\/p>\n “I had been planning to put it on a concrete base.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you want Spock to fix it? I can send you all new stuff from the garage. We have like 20 set of patio sets in there. I need to center. Please hurry, am about to shift in your arms, done freak.\u201d The sand slipped from his arm but firm flesh replaced it.<\/p>\n “Don’t do anything with Spock and why would I freak?”<\/p>\n \u201cIt will tickle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe or you?\u201d<\/p>\n The air of Jasmine took over her, the devilish smile on her lips, \u201cMatt hated it the first time it happen. He said he had sands in all the wrong places.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeed to have Mal walk through him once if he wants weird \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWE are speaking of Matt. I think he prefers weird. Maybe I will put him on a dating sight. That should come up with interesting results.\u201d<\/p>\n As soon as they landed, Jasmine in a hurried sway enter the house calling out, \u201cJorge, Jorge.\u201d<\/p>\n The man appeared in the main foyer, from the library.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is Matthew?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have finished packing his bags, he is currently in the court yard, giving instruction on the inventory.\u201d He stated, \u201cShould I summons him for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you Jorge, I can handle it from here. Please unpack his bags. He is not going anywhere right now.\u201d<\/p>\n She headed for the courtyard, leaving Nat to follow. She enter the courtyard, twenty of the staff was going through the tiny shoes, writing down the info on each pair. Two staff members where entering the paper sheets into laptops.<\/p>\n Matt was speaking as she enter, \u201cMake sure that the auctioneer, gets these tomorrow, than pull the Jessy\u2019s children clothes from room Eleven, that should be enough till I get back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAND WHERE do you think you are going,\u201d Jasmine questioned, drawing his attention to her,\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook princess, I changed the flight from the morning one. You asked me to stay so I stayed. I can\u2019t just stop the work if you want to clear all the houses and assets. I need to get to Greece. There is a few million sitting in that account, if they honor it. After their banks went bust, they are settling accounts for less money. They need me in person to verify my paper work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMatt, please come with me.\u201d Long Island Jasmine was not pleased, \u201cThere is something I need to question you about. In my ROOM.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you finally got to the stack of papers from last week.\u201d Matt handed some paper instruction to the Staff member he had been talking to, \u201cYou get this done by Saturday morning and there is a grand bonus for each of you.\u201d He turned back to Jasmine, \u201cI am coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Jorge stopped them at the stairs. \u201cJust a reminder that Senoir Gomez and his troupe will be here at one. I laid your dress and wig out in your room.\u201d<\/p>\n Jasmine acknowledged, \u201cThank you Jorge, I had forgotten.\u201d She headed up the stairs with Matt and Nat in tow.<\/p>\n Matt opened the bed room door for Jasmine and let her and Nat enter then turned to walk away.<\/p>\n \u201cDad dee grab him.\u201d She was blocked by her father, \u201cYou need to come in here, Matt.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat stared down at Matt. \u201cYou know I can and will. Wouldn\u2019t it better to do this voluntarily?\u201d<\/p>\n Matt sighed, \u201cI have work to do. How am I supposed to get anything done with her pulling me up here to yell at me about something? Fine!\u201d He squeezed into the tiny room with them. \u201cJay why don\u2019t we get you another room for this. This is crazy small.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cClose the door please,\u201d her voice was all ready shifting as she pulled off her boot, pouring sand on her carpet.<\/p>\n Matt went to the desk, “You haven’t touched a thing. So why in the hell did I get pulled up here?”<\/p>\n Nat leans against the door.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it happen again, the da tant is in Greece forget that asset. You need to get the staff to do the rest and you check in with them on Skype. I want your ass safely back in the states.\u201d Jay was back.<\/p>\n \u201cPops, will you tell her that I am a full grown man.\u201d Matt slanted his eyes as he peered at her. \u201cI think I can handle a little paper work at a bank.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy will you tell this over grown oaf, that he is in danger. Like I want to lose any one else!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the overgrown oaf,\u201d Nat poked Matt with a stiffen forefinger. \u201cHe\u2019s the pip squeak. Now someone explain who or what is The DaTant?\u201d<\/p>\n Matt piped up, \u201cThat\u2019s a secret society that Jeff James and Jessy James belonged to. They are the one who hired Jeff and Jenny James to do all their hits and the ones who paid them. Than Jeff blew up the building where his wife and Jasmine James where still inside.\u201d Matt thumb through the stack of papers and pulled out a photo of a pin. \u201cThis is the pin Jessy wore as a kid. I did the research to find out what I could. So I knocked over a few bee hives doing it but I think I got the most the story.\u201d He turned to Nat. \u201cShe thinks just because I am a normal I can\u2019t take care of myself. Can you explain to her that I am a man and fully capable of dealing with whatever happens?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs the threat super-powered?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but they are professional hit men.\u201d Jay answered, \u201cI have to protect my family don\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, armed killers,\u201d Nat turns to Matt. \u201cAre you trained in weapons combat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cArcher taught me a little and I do have a CLP, I go to the range back home all the time. But army combat no.\u201d<\/p>\n He turns back to Jasmine, \u201cDo they know Matt?\u201d<\/p>\n Jay nodded, \u201cThey know his name,\u201d Matthew Francis Murphy. That should be enough for them to dig on him.\u201d<\/p>\n To both he said, \u201cFigure the likelihood of someone laying in wait for Matt, what would you give it? Two to one? Ten to one? Jazz, where do you put it? How about you and be honest Matt, I really don\u2019t care how big your balls are. Or you think they are.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt spoke first, \u201cI am no threat. I don\u2019t have what they want. I don\u2019t even know where the vault is and never been there. So the only thing they could gain, is getting to her and she was missing in action for two years. I don\u2019t feel threaten.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the one poking the hornet\u2019s nest and I gave you the info. They might think you are Jeff James grandson and come after you.\u201d She gave an icy stare at the Matt. \u201cI think it\u2019s more like a timing thing, than an odd.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo they want what\u2019s in the vault that someone Matt knows has and they MIGHT think she is dead or something because no one has seen her in a couple years, that about it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s about sizes it up\u201d Matt stated.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d snatch you off the street in broad daylight then torture your ass for a few weeks just to make sure you really didn\u2019t know anything, then I\u2019d hang your guts up somewhere Jasmine would hear about them or see them, then I come after someone else close to her or you, until I get what I want. I\u2019d kill your dog, your mother, your old grannie and your kindergarten teacher, all in very ugly ways. That\u2019s Greece, not Utopia, only place I can think of that is worse, at least in Europe, is Sicily.\u201d<\/p>\n Jay folded her arms in triumph, \u201cSee he agrees.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou,\u201d he points a finger at Jasmine, \u201cBe quiet.\u201d He turns back to Matt. \u201cYou have to have this meeting? How much is it worth to her AND the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201dIt\u2019s more of tying up lose ends,\u201d He sat on the desk shoving the laptop to the side.\u201dThe meeting is at a bank to review the power of attorney papers. I\u2019ve done it a lot. The bank will take a cash hit, they are still recovering from the collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamnit Matt, how MUCH is in it for the bank? Simple question, simple answer.\u201d Nat rubs his forehead. \u201cHow important is this money, Jazz?\u201d<\/p>\n “It’s not, I am just giving it all away”<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Matt, why is it so important to you that you would risk having your balls clamped in a vise and sawed off with a hacksaw?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you put it that way, I guess one lose end won\u2019t hurt.\u201d Matt didn\u2019t seem too happy.<\/p>\n \u201cNever let your ego get you killed,\u201d Nat put a hand on Matt\u2019s shoulder. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the first things I have to teach new recruits, you know, the one\u2019s that just discovered their power. It goes for normal people too.\u201d He steps back and point a finger back and forth between them. \u201cYou guys are like children and you treat each other like it. Your egos are getting in the way. Put your heads together and come up with alternate plans. TALK to each other, don\u2019t just go off on your own.\u201d Again he points as Jasmine. \u201cThat means you too. Always utilize every asset you have, that\u2019s why they are called assets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes daddy\u201d<\/p>\n Matt shook his head, \u201cI will try. It just have been a rough few years dealing with all this without her, to have her come back and try and control everything, while depending on me as \u2026 Never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n A beep sounded from the unit on her night stand. Jay pressed the button, \u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey have arrived earlier, should I have them set up, Madam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll send Matt and Dad dee to greet them till I get dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy, would you please keep them busy till I get down? Senor Gomez is really quite sweet once you get to know him.<\/p>\n Matt led Nat down stairs and into the courtyard where most of the crates had been removed. The few remaining were stacks neatly to one side of the gate.<\/p>\n An elderly man, Senoir Gomez Nat assumed, was obviously the dance instructor and a tall young man in traditional dance garb waited. A small group of musicians tuned their instruments.<\/p>\n \u201cBuenos d\u00edas, Sr. Gomez, soy Nathaniel Ryan. M sinento honrado de conocerte.\u201d Nat said with a polite bow.<\/p>\n The elderly man sized up Nat as he came into view. He slightly bowed in return, \u201cNo need, I speak good English. Pleasure to meet. So she gets her height from you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs you wish,\u201d Nat replied.<\/p>\n Her quick change was no surprise to Matt. In a long red gown, the broad shoulder straps barely covered her tattoo on her back shoulder, the ruffles trailed behind her, Jasmine dissented the stair case. Her makeup dramatic and bold. Her wheat hair now cover by a black wig embellished with a large red flower. It made her look more like her mother side of the family. As she stepped into the courtyard, the band began to play. She moved in step with her kilted shoes and castanets, dancing the lively flamenco.<\/p>\n To the normal eye the dance seemed flawless but the instructor began correcting her moves as she twirled around the room, until the music stop. Then he pushed the young man to her, \u201cHe is no Diego but he will have to do. Begin!\u201d<\/p>\n Again the music started and the two began the Fandango. It was a lively, energetic and happy, dance that was a traditional Spanish dance performed with couples. The two moved in time and the dance seemed almost sensual to the final dip.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will do.\u201d The old man seemed unhappy, \u201cYou need to practice more Ms. Ramirez. I suggest you two practice more before the performance on Saturday. Your father would have wanted it to be better. You use to do them so well.\u201d He sighed as if disappointed. Jasmine nodded, \u201cIt has been a few years since last I danced. I promise I will not embarrass you. I will make the Village proud.\u201d She looked to the young man, \u201cIf you have nothing to do this evening we can practice tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the top, the flamenco.\u201d Senoir Gomez ordered.<\/p>\n As Jasmine began again, Matt grabbed Nat\u2019s arm. \u201cHow about a game of pool? She will be at this for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat ignores Matt for the moment, watching the man closely. Twice he winced as he noted something wrong in the man\u2019s foot work. Finally, he turned to Matt, \u201cBit off, isn\u2019t he? Pool? Sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt headed to the billiard room, ignoring the dance. He had already racked the balls by the time Nat entered.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo left feet or old war wound?\u201d Nat said as he sighted down the length of a stick.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know she wanted you to see her dance before you left, she will do better Saturday. Her and Diego would practice those all the time before they came here. I don\u2019t think she ever danced with anyone else but him. Except in the plays and stuff she was in.\u201d He sighed, \u201cThis has to be hard for her. Go ahead and break, just don\u2019t break the balls.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat moved to the rack and swapped a couple of balls around. He moved the 1 ball into the left rear corner, then the five ball into the right rear.<\/p>\n \u201c14.1 to one twenty-five?\u201d he asked, and pointed at the scoring beads over the table.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanta make this more interesting? How about for every ball sunk, the one sinking it can ask a truth questions.\u201d Matt suggested.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that what it takes to get the truth out of people now? Why don\u2019t you just ask me? I\u2019ll tell you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever felt it was right to pry.\u201d He chalked his cue.\u201d And I\u2019m not very good at this game. I just have a few questions because I have been digging in a lot of the history. You got to be wondering about what the hell this is about and Jay is good at not getting to the point. She just expects you to understand what she is doing. She mapped every moment out for a good month.\u201d He chuckled, \u201cThat\u2019s why I put a monkey wrench in it. She did her way, you would be in Madrid riding waves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do know that Madrid is in the mountains \u2026 Oh, by the way, you do know also that that one of the exercises I used to practice to control my strength was pool, right? Fifteen in the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope, first time in Spain just used a city I heard of but you get the jest of what I was saying. She over-planned, made two back up plans and I gave her the reality check she needed.\u201d he grinned, \u201cThat little detail was never mentioned to me by Jay. Still I played a little in high school, wasn\u2019t any good at it but it kills time while you hang with your buds.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re as bad as her, ten in the side.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou hang around her enough, it rubs off. So what\u2019s in the Vault?<\/p>\n \u201cThings that can kill you, things that can get you killed and things that will save your life, Oh, and a lot of dolls.\u201d<\/p>\n Matt nodded, \u201cHer mom had a thing for dolls. I am dreading those.\u201d He looked at Nat considering a little, then added, \u201cIt is also hard to get you on the same page when I don\u2019t know how many of her personas you knew, how many you know now and if she shared with you about the nightmares, her losing center or blood lust. So I\u2019m asking.\u201d<\/p>\n “Didn’t hear a question, just a statement. However, if I divide it all up … I don’t know, I still don’t know and no and no. You gotta stop monologueing.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, I’ll make it simple for you. So the Blood lust thing, she is obsessed with finding and killing this guy for killing her parents. When dee pops in that is all she talks about. Frinken weirded me out when she popped that one on me. I don’t know how Diego could handle watching the inner fight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that she has multiple personalities but I don\u2019t know if it is affected or she\u2019s afflicted. I believe I have seen at least four. Nightmares she has not spoken of but I am not terribly surprised. Seeing your parents murdered in a very gruesome way at any age can fuck you up. As for the blood lust? That\u2019s NOT bloodlust, it is vengeance and I can\u2019t blame her. And so far, none of the \u2018hers\u2019 has weird me out. Seven in the corner\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe nightmares started right after see watched them get murdered. She relives that night every time she sleeps. That\u2019s why she made that bed, you to protect her and them to watch over her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does she mean by \u2018center\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat is her balance point. It\u2019s been like that since forever,\u201d he searched for the right words, \u201cIt\u2019s a coping mechanize she uses to deal with the full range of her reality. She calls them her different lives and since she had her powers coming in ever since I knew her, it had to affect her. She never let anyone know about her powers. I saw her do stuff, so I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat she calls centering is her playing out all the conflicts in her, raw and hurtful, loving and tender, pain, grief, hatred. I can\u2019t handle it. I can handle some of it but all of it. You have to sit there and see this horrifying play, knowing it\u2019s all \u2026\u201d Matt choked up, \u201cJay. You have to sit there and not judge but you have to help her find a balance in it. I just can\u2019t. I figured with you being a Meta and seen the blood gut and gore, you could relate better. I want my budd back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing she could do that will shock me, and I am certainly not going to judge her because I can understand it. How\u2019d Diego manage?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter every visit to wherever, they had special time to play make believe. I knew that meant for me to disappear for two hours. Never thought a thing of it \u2018til she needed to center and I was the chosen target.\u201d he was shaken, \u201cShe has two years of pent up emotion. Sandy can block almost any emotion when center. She has lived the past two years as Sandy. The more she\u2019s flesh, the more lost she become. I can\u2019t do it again. We are the last of her inner circle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJorge!\u201d<\/p>\n The man entered the door, \u201cCan I get you anything?”<\/p>\n Dress shoes, like that dancer is wearing? Got any?”<\/p>\n “Yes, you own similar, anything else?”<\/p>\n \u201cYou got a flamenco dancer\u2019s outfit up your sleeve?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShirt, yes, coat by tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n “Matt, if you don’t record this, Wren is going to kill me.”<\/p>\n \u201cYou got it pops!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd don\u2019t call me \u2018pops\u2019!\u201d Nat raced after Jorge.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything you say POPS!\u201d<\/p>\n Jorge had the black dress slacks and the shirt laid out, he pulled out the socks and dress shoes as Nat entered.<\/p>\n \u201cRemind me to have Jasmine pound him \u2026\u201d Nat said to Jorge.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you wish, sir,\u201d Jorge replied as Nat stripped.<\/p>\n Several times he had to slap Jorge\u2019s hands as the man tried to \u2018dress\u2019 him.<\/p>\n \u201cI got this!\u201d he said as he finished tying the shoes. \u201cHey, Jorge?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat grabbed the man\u2019s head and kissed him on the forehead. \u201cAnd if you ever tell Michaels that I let you help me dress, I\u2019ll throw you into the Pacific Ocean \u2026 from here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can assure you, sir, that what goes on between us is always confidential,\u201d Jorge managed.<\/p>\n Nat was out the door but stopped at the top of the stairs, to watch and listen to the dance.<\/p>\n Senoir Gomez stopped the music, cursing to the room, \u201cYou almost had last and now. Am I watching two chickens scratch?\u201d<\/p>\n Nat shook his head as he made his way slowly down the steps. He held out a hand to Jasmine as the musicians faltered to a stop.<\/p>\n \u201cMay I?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Senoir Gomez waved to the band to play, he was curious, \u201cBegin\u201d<\/p>\n Nat steps off, playing against Jasmine, dancing around her, taking her hand, and moving away. In several places it is easy to see that he is improvising but he never missed a beat or failed to meet her went the dance called for it.<\/p>\n Jasmine knew every curve of his body, every move of his form, she had watched him dance with Wren and knew he could do this. A sparkle of light, ignited in her eyes as she dance in perfect harmony with him never missing a move.<\/p>\n As the dance ended, her took her hand and kissed it, bowing to her. \u201cThank you, my dear.\u201d Nat turned to the Master and bowed.<\/p>\n Senoir Gomez demanded, \u201cYou must dance with her Saturday!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was just improv from what I picked up watching,\u201d Nat told him. \u201cNot sure how long I could sustain the deception.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will teach you! We have the rest of today, tonight and tomorrow! You make her move with perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat depends \u2026\u201d Nat said, looking at Jasmine. \u201cOn you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDad dee, I want you to be just you. Do what you would do.\u201d The sparkle still in her eye.<\/p>\n Behind them, Matt is busy buying up everyone\u2019s cell phone, or at least those that filmed the dancing.<\/p>\n Nat lean over and whispered in her ear, \u201cWhich way is the most peaceful place you know of near here? And NOT the vault?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Stu\u2026.,\u201d she stopped, \u201cit is all peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome!\u201d Senior Gomez said. \u201cWe teach you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen it doesn\u2019t matter \u2026\u201d He had her up in his arms and in the air all in one breath and within a few minutes, they were back on the ground in a copse of trees near the top of a hill. The villa was several miles in the distance and couple goats acted as if giants carrying girls dropped from the sky every day. He set her on her feet.<\/p>\n \u201cTime to center.\u201d<\/p>\n Day 3 (Friday Morning)<\/strong><\/p>\n It was a cool evening, Jasmine walked the grounds, ending it at the studio. She unlocked the door, the light clicked on, bathing the circle of statues. Moving from one to other examining every detail of the teen, she had confronted. The boy now the man she centered with, her dad. It had been exhausting to center with him. The end result well worth all her failed plots and plans. She thought to herself, \u201cMatt was right.\u201d She knelt before the half rock cave, stroking the sadden face of the cradling stone man.<\/p>\n He’d get something to eat, then swim 20 miles or so in the pool, get in touch with Wren and talk about the carousel, which she would have already gotten moved. Seeing her figure move through the court yard he, slowly followed her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need a vacation.\u201d Nat said. \u201cSomeplace far away from all this chaos, from your uncle. Someplace he doesn\u2019t know exists.\u201d<\/p>\n She regain her feet, \u201cI have no time for a vacation, this was it for a while. I am going to speed my schedule up. I have wasted to much time , sorting out my mom\u2019s things. Matt can handle it. I\u2019ll get Grandpa to watch over him. Just need to find the right fit now.\u201d She looked at her basinet, \u201cThis one is my favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight fit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have a few guidelines, I need, beside the training.\u201d she turned to him, \u201cIf I am there Slit will know\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow does he know where you are, if you don\u2019t travel in the sand?\u201d He asked. \u201cDoes that mean you know where he is all the time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t know where he is but I could if I looked, that would leave a trail to me. He found me twice, in two different dimensions. I have no doubt he will find me again, if I don\u2019t strike first.\u201d The voice calm and soft not like any of the others. She returned her stare to another figure. \u201cSo which one will you keep?\u201d<\/p>\n Nat makes a tour, inspecting each carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cThen if you don\u2019t go into the sand, how does he track you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how he tracks me, I know how I track him and if the stream isn\u2019t fresh, it is harder. I have stayed out of the stream since I gave you the warning. My powers are with the sand. I need it to train. If he tracks by my powers, than who knows how soon he will find me. I have consider he might pop up right now. There isn\u2019t enough information yet. It will come.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou emptied the tunnel to the vault, did that count? When you become Jay, does that count?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked down at her watch, \u201cYes, I used my powers. So I left a stream in that sand. It is a needle in a hay stack, too small to notice, when you are looking for the traveler.”<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does your watch tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt just helps me positions for my swims.\u201d She checked it again, \u201cForth face only moved twice. Once when he was near and attacked my team. The other time, I didn\u2019t see him. I just waited for the attack. It moved for days with no sighting but it stopped. I believe it lets me know when any of the Sand of time travelers or the Sand of time and space are near me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUse Archer\u2019s Road,\u201d Nat suggested. \u201cWalk the Road, drop in a few dozen places and times, use a little power, enough to register to him, move to the next. He\u2019ll be chasing you for months or even years if he picks them up and you set enough lures. Make it random and he\u2019ll have to check each one out, no matter how far apart they are in time and space. If you lay enough, he might stop checking them all out. Give you time to plan and plot and train.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t walk the road. I swim the streams, he swims the streams. He can\u2019t follow the Road.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you get here? Spock?\u201d<\/p>\n “I took an airplane,\u201d she replied. \u201c\u201cOr did you mean how did I get back to this space and time? You know grandma and grandpa brought me back by the way of the road. I can\u2019t get there without one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave one of them take you through the Road. Stop in a bunch of different places and times. Do a little swimming then take the Road out. Go to the next. Scatter bread crumbs all over the place. Have Archer take you back ten thousand years, that’ll confuse him. If he is running all over the place like that, will you know it?”<\/p>\n \u201cShe sighed, \u201cIt makes sense but I don\u2019t want them involved, at least not in the over all. Yes protect Matt, protect Diego\u2019s babies, this villa and village. I don\u2019t want to be watched over and overly protected. How am I supposed to stretch my powers to full, when you have one of the family taking out the target before I can get a blast? Than If I used grandpa, he would know slit is alive and he will kill him, that\u2019s my job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a huge pile of sand separated from direct contact with the planet, could you practice with that without triggering a ding for Slit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have never tried it or checked it like that. I am not even positive what will attract him, so I have to be ready.\u201d She pulled up her pant leg, to reveal a dagger strapped to her calf. \u201cI need this and the sword to kill him and remove him from the stream. Archer might kill him but he will still be in the stream. \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are your plans?\u201d he asked, \u201cHow are you going to handle him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have scrapped what I made.\u201d She chuckled,\u201d I was not centered. I will recheck them for ideas, as for now I need to get powered up enough to do the final one on one. If I have an army or if I am alone, I have to take him out. I might only get one shot.\u201d She held a finger up, \u201cLet\u2019s say I am alone in bed and he is over me. No army, I need to fight or die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you plan to power up? There a Powers R Us store on this world I never heard of?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am going to train and fight the bad guys and try whatever I can to better what I have and discover what has to be in me. I know there is more to come. I am of the sand and always shifting. So I am sure so will my powers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome to my world and train,\u201d he offered. \u201cYour grandfather won\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing and we have been training metas for fourteen years now. I know it\u2019s not Archer\u2019s thousands, but I\u2019ll pit my teams against the Wild Hunt anytime. Plus he\u2019ll think it is just to spend more time with me.\u201d<\/p>\n She considered, \u201cIf I do, we would have to make a few ground rules and stipulations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuch as?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, I cannot be in direct contact with you and Wren, no one can know who I am. The team would only know Sandy. Second I will not put up with more than two females around me. I can\u2019t stand their drama. I have enough of my own. Three you secure me with ID for Jay Lynn Wayne. Four you get me a cottage on the beach for Ms Wayne to live in, preferable out of the city. Five, I need a ride like another OCC chopper. Six, I need a way to have you for centering when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, let me take this one at a time. Do you plan to be part of the Minutemen? There are advantages and disadvantages.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know after all these years, I never paid much attention to the way things work in your dimension. I never thought I would be living there. If the best option is a minute man so be it\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, as a Minuteman, you get paid, you get legal protection, you get team support, you get all the other things any employee would get, sick leave, vacation, medical, all that. You will also become a US Marshal. We will have to come up with a story that when you manifested you just became sand and don\u2019t remember anything before that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDeb is going to want to Read you, but she has to ask a teammate. She will not trust you if you don\u2019t let her because of that. And if she actually can\u2019t Read you, she still won\u2019t trust you. Do you have any kind of mental defenses, natural, or something from the vault?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can set you up as a new recruit meeting Goliath and Giselle as Sandy. We can have one of my team bring you in. Josh would be cool with it, I think, if you just pop up someplace along the beach. Of course, we don\u2019t have to tell him what\u2019s really going on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any mental defense, but you poke in my head and you are going to come out crazy. If she won\u2019t trust me so be it. I won\u2019t agree but I do have some magic jewelry, never had them scanned for what they do. I can lie. I just try not to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, wear it. As for the Jay ID, I think I need to do that outside the government so they don\u2019t ask too many inconvenient questions. I just happen to know a guy. He took care of something similar for Ra\u2019ch\u2019el some years back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we get the ID, we\u2019ll find a place up the beach between San Diego and LA or LA and San Francisco. We\u2019ll have to insist on cash for Sandy\u2019s stipend, no paper trail. As for the bike? No OCC on my world but there are other places to get one customized.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, that\u2019s a deal breaker.\u201d he said in mock sadness.<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping to add to my collection,\u201d she said. \u201cA fully loaded Harley will do.\u201d<\/p>\n “Well, it is not like money’s a problem. Oh, there’s Legacy.”<\/p>\n \u201cMy team is Team White, but we are also Legacy. Legacy does the small things, quietly. They\u2019re my inner circle and you won\u2019t be the only XD.\u201d<\/p>\n “Extra-dimensional, you would be number four. Just to show you the kind of trust I have in them, in over a dozen years, no one but Legacy knows that there are people from other dimensions or that other dimension even exist.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds to close to you and Wren and a group way to big for me.\u201d<\/p>\n “You’re going to be assigned to Team White,” he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is your team. First rule, I cannot be in direct contact with you and Wren.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York, Kansas City, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles, five teams. KC is more your age.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York is Team red, the oldest. Blue is in Miami, Silver in Seattle and Gold is KC. And Legacy has nothing to do with any of them, not directly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York, not a chance in hell, Miami, you really want my nightmares at full tilt, Seattle It\u2019s a city, just like Kansas City all concrete. I would be useless. At least the west coast is sandy even in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor this to work, there will have to be direct contact, but whether it is Goliath or Nat Ryan is the choice. Honestly Goliath is the better choice since he is the Director of the Minutemen. Everything would be mission related with no outside the team contact. You could disappear at will, and come in only if called. Training would be with someone other than Goliath or Giselle. Hand to hand would be Venatrix with others filling in where necessary. Your contact with Goliath would be strictly at the HQ in LA. We are used to keeping up appearances, Jazz or Nat and Wren wouldn\u2019t have a home life. Neither would anyone else in the teams. We managed to keep Legacy secret from the government and HARP tried it\u2019s damnest to figure out secret IDs, but we have Mercury \u2026 so any of us can be in two places at once.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost of our missions don\u2019t call for a full team. We are usually assigned to various duties and even work with the other teams as needed. We\u2019d set you up with a core team, depending on how you power set fits in. Core Team is usually four.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d get a chance to meet all of the other members, all fifty-four. I can even shuffle people around until you find someone you can work with. We do prefer that you have a set partner but it isn\u2019t necessary. Josh is usually my Team\u2019s wildcard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf I find someone suitable, you will know when I center, till than bounce me.\u201d<\/p>\n “The most important part is trusting your partner and your team and that means doing as you are trained. If you don’t get along, we’ll switch up, same with a core team. I am pretty good at spotting drama.” he said. “I don’t allow it in my teams, that’s why Deb doesn’t work with anyone, she is the Seer and coordinates from her desk.”<\/p>\n \u201cDo you play MMORPGs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u201cYeah my mom had an elf friend like that. He was out there with visions.\u201d She laughed. \u201dI have no idea what that is, is something you do in the danger room?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have a danger room, so we use MMORPGs to practice teamworker, it also teaches how to follow orders without someone getting killed. We have a \u2018guild\u2019 and we are the top raider guild in the game. You\u2019ll get a computer, learn to play and raid with us. You\u2019ll learn disciple, and also how to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n “Now, centering. What kind of place would you like it to take place in? Remember, we don\u2019t have teleporters or super jets, so we have to drive or fly or walk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWould be nice in an unbugged, sound proof, no surveillance room. Good thing I will have the bike.\u201d She rubbed her temples.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a place but you\u2019ll have to come to San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI still don\u2019t know where I will be so, no biggie we\u2019ll work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t heard where \u2026\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n \u201cSo which statue are you taking?\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed to one of him on his board riding a wave and laughing like an idiot. \u201cI think your mother did that one from the first time I took her out on my board. I think the laughing made her think I was crazy but it was just the pure joy of the wave. That\u2019s what I want people to see, the simple joy of doing something you love.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can understand that.\u201d She re-studied his pick, \u201cSo where is this secret destination you plan for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is sound proof, totally bug free, impossible to servile, well hidden and all rock.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat the one place I can’t escape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe could go out to Barstow \u2026 or Lancaster \u2026 or Mojave \u2026 if you want sand.\u201d He said each place with an exaggerated shiver.<\/p>\n \u201cMy place has running water \u2026 mostly the waterfall \u2026 comfortable furniture \u2026 constant climate \u2026 and a few animals hanging around, which I\u2019ll make sure are in their poke balls.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter logistics will come once I get found and I get settled in. Now I have to be here for the birth of my kids in nine months or so. Do the photo thing, the legal crap, will need a week off. That is if you want to start this after the festival.<\/p>\n “Soon as you are ready. What are you going to tell Matt?”<\/p>\n \u201cEverything, buds don\u2019t have secrets. He knows I have to do this even if we miss each other. He is needed here. I need to do this. I can’t leave till after the dance Saturday. Can you have a house for me by then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRent or buy? How big? How far from the beach? And I\u2019ll need data you want on your ID as well. You\u2019ll have to get your driver\u2019s license, we\u2019ll need to set you up a full back story \u2026 took about a week for that the last time.<\/p>\n \u201cJay will need a job for paperwork; I think there is a need for a wood carving at this place I know, you up for that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuy, on the beach, same size as the cottage with garage attached. Jay Lyn Wayne, use my natural birthday, blonde blue eye. Wood working specialist, everything from custom moldings to building houses. Sold family business to start over in the warmer climate, from Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuying will take longer even if you pay cash, a least a couple weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGuess it is Motel Six and a large storage unit \u2018til then. I get one last beam with Spock to get us and some stuff, might as well beam it in the unit, then have trucks move it the house to look normal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to get back, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI meant, you, me, your stuff, has to go all at once?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think grandpa trusts us using Spock. I was not center and messed up with the carousel. Sure sign I am not center, I mess up non-stop.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll need to have the storage unit set up and have to be there so you don\u2019t beam into sheds on the side.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have a fix for it. I just have to talk to Spock later, see if he would like it. Got to love the electronic section.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have no idea how Wren explained to the police where that carousel came from \u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot my fault I wasn’t centered.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat raised an eyebrow, “Whose fault was it?”<\/p>\n \u201cThe frickin Dragon, it’s always his fault.\u201d<\/p>\n “Have I missed something in this? Did Nick just magically steal a carousel and drop it on my deck?”<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t say his NAME!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t have the luxury of dragon blame, not when there are no such things as dragons. God, Michaels \u2026 how did she explain it to him?\u201d Nat covered his face with his hands.<\/p>\n Dad, you know when I am off center, stupid shit like that will happen. Diego only needed to center me when I had to switch lives. I can stay a long time if I am not trying to be ten people in one room. Everyone expects one type. No one knows me over there. I can be any one of me to fit in with my base and Sandy , she is Sandy.<\/p>\n Nat returned to his room to find Jorge had acquired the dancing outfit, which was laid out on the bed. Next to it was a note the read: \u201cBe reminded to have Matt pounded.\u201d<\/p>\n Senior Gomes arrived bringing an extra female dancer with them. The man demanded them to do the dance over again and again, till at last by dinner time he was satisfied.<\/p>\n Day 4 (Saturday)<\/strong><\/p>\n The horse drawn carriage waited in front of the Villa for Jasmine, Nat and Matt. The four black stallions were decked out in festive blankets. Dressed in their dancing costumes, Jasmine took her father\u2019s arm nudging him forward to their ride.<\/p>\n The carriage drove through the packed streets of the village. Formally the festival had not yet begun but the people had. They pulled up to the front of the Museum, the stairs lead to a group of city council members and the Mayor greeted them for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Nat looked to the building remembering the castle Jessy had made for him. This building wasn\u2019t as alive as her work but it was her design.<\/p>\n The whirlwind of duties played out as she kept her father at her side, food, drink, smiles, laughter followed them, Matt staying with them, than the moment arrived. Senior Gomes announced the dance. Every eye in the village looked to the stage, cameras and phones recording the dance. Nat and Jasmine took center stage as the crowd went wild as soon as they made the first move. The music played on as they danced in perfect harmony.<\/p>\n Day 5 (Sunday)<\/strong><\/p>\n Jay kissed her father good bye, \u201cMake the arrangements, I\u2019ll join you in a few weeks. \u201c Softly she whispered in his ear, \u201cI will always love you.\u201d<\/p>\n Nat whispered back, \u201cLove you too, Jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n She stepped back, \u201cNow Spock.\u201d The beam of light surrounded him and the statue. Smiling at him with a wave of her hand, her father faded away, back to his dimension.<\/p>\n Matt put his hand on her shoulder, \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell him everything did you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, there are some things a girl can\u2019t tell her dad. It\u2019s not like Diego ever got everything from me either.\u201d She covered his hand with hers, still looking at the now empty space, \u201cI have work to do. I have to put Dad\u2019s needle in a hay stack plan into effect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long this time?\u201d he asked<\/p>\n \u201cIf all goes as planned, I\u2019ll be back within a week.\u201d She stated as she turned, pulling his hand down and to their sides.<\/p>\n \u201cNot what I asked.\u201d Matt looked firmly at her.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry Matt. I will be using a friend to help me with my tasks. I won\u2019t be in the sands. Like Dad said, use your assets. It doesn\u2019t matter how much time passes for me. I will be back with in the week.\u201d She assured him.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t help it,\u201d his eyes looked to hers.<\/p>\n \u201cMatt you know, just friends.\u201d She led him back into the villa. \u201cI need to summons him, can you behave this time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo I don\u2019t think I can, he gives me the creeps. I\u2019ll get the rest of this stuff gone. Doctor called, all three have been done.\u201d He started to walk away to the court yard but turned back, \u201cJay, come back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI promise, no more than seven days from today.\u201d She headed up the stairs and called back to him, \u201cI love you, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Across space later that day.<\/strong><\/p>\n The tall slender elf with snowy hair held a walking stick in one hand and rested his other on her shoulder. The cloth bound around his eyes made it obvious he was blind. He had been in and out of her life since she was a child. Traeliorn had met his mother before her birth. He was one of the Historians looking for the tales of time, which had been locked from view.<\/p>\n Jay looked on, while the other Historians made the final adjustments to the statues. The twenty-four foot gemstone statue of living stonework faced the ocean of EA. Beneath the curl of the wave was placed the cold dead stone of Nat. The clouds of a storm were rolling in.<\/p>\n Traeliorn softly spoke, \u201cYour mother had mastered an aspect of the flame. I can see the living flame in her work. Will you master it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know my grandfather Josho had died. They took his flame soul, placing it in a new shell to give him his second life. My grandmother Rav was the last flame bearer. She was all but consumed, when she was freed from her duty. My mom\u2019s flame will live on within all of her work but mainly, with this one, her greatest masterpiece.\u201d The pause was long before she added, \u201cI have no interest in what the flame can do. As you have told me the flame can bring you the greatest joy or destroy your essence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou will always have that option, now you have embraced the transformation to full elf. The people of this plant and you are one, though they no longer carry the flame.\u201d He stated.<\/p>\n She nodded, still watching the placement, \u201cI had to. My dad will understand. His blood still pumps through my veins. I will not allow the flame to destroy me as it did my mother but it is part of me and I cannot let it go. I will learn to center myself, now that I can keep it at bay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease leave me Traeliorn,\u201d Jay requested, \u201cI will need you again after the storm has past.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs you wish my Lady.\u201d He removed his hand from her shoulder. Turning from her, he shimmered through his gate.<\/p>\n The workers left her as she knelt, where her mother had done. \u201cYes all in context Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n The wind blew against, his likeness. The storm transforming the surfer into a shadow figure as a flame image grew in the wave. Jessy\u2019s flame image flickered within. As the wind blew in, the air filled with her voice as she sang out to the Ocean : \u201cI am more sorry than you’ll ever know. Your love has touched me so deep in my soul. I am more sorry than you’ll ever know.\u201d Jay cried at the altar of the dying boy. Jay looked up at the flame image, \u201cI tried mom, I tried.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cNathaniel?\u00a0 Are you acquainted with someone in Spain?\u201d\u00a0 Wren held a gold embossed envelope in her left hand.\u00a0 Flipping it over, she inspected the postal mark.\u00a0 Barcelona. \u201cWe both do,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jay","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1530,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions\/1530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ravensplayland.com\/wpRAVEN\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}