THE BEGINNING OF THE END

The smile on Jubel’s face faded as the oak door latched shut. He looked at Amelia, staring at her hard. He stood up straight, gently taking her hand. Amelia waited as he held her hand. Jubel closed his eyes, whispering aloud.

‘Forgive me.’

‘Crux Sacra sit mihi Lux, Non Draco sit mihi Dux, Vade Retro Satana!!'

Before Amelia had realized, Jubel quickly and in one swift movement had spun her around, bent her over and flipped her hair over her head. Whitey stepped forward, Astrid yelled, and Harry pulled his gun out and pressed it against Jubel’s ‘temple.’

Almost as quick as it happened, Jubel let go of Amelia and put his hands up as if surrendering. Amelia stumbled over into Astrid’s arms; Astrid helping her get the hair out of her face. Jubel was the first to speak.

‘Please forgive….’

Harry cut him off before he could finish.

‘Don’t move, what the …’ He cut himself off before finishing Jubel spoke next, now looking at Whitey.

‘Every quest, every vision, every sacrifice we have made Whitey, was all for this.’ Jubel’s arm extended in the direction of Amelia. Whitey looked at her, then back at Jubel. Harry, still holding the gun against Jubel’s temple, looked at Whitey.

‘What’s going on Whitey?’ Harry tightened his grip on his gun as Whitey walked over to Amelia.

‘May I see your mark?’ Amelia looked at him, puzzled.

‘My birth mark???’

Whitey nodded in reply. Amelia, still not sure why they were so peculiar about her birthmark, turned around. Amelia then lifted her hair from the nape of her neck, revealing her exceedingly rare and unique birthmark. It was small, but definitive. A small cross lay against her hairline on the nape of her neck.

Whitey thanked her and looked back at Jubel. He nodded at Whitey, answering the question that Whitey’s eyes were asking him. Amelia, growing impatient.

‘Look, I need to find someone, can you help me or not?’

Before Jubel had a chance to say anything, Whitey spoke.

‘Where’s Dees?’

Amelia looked at Whitey confused.

‘We go separated…. She told me to come to a church in Mournstead. I’m supposed to speak to someone, she said he would help me.’

‘Who?’ Whitey asked, anxiously waiting for her to answer.

‘Me…’

Everyone turned to look at Jubel as he walked over to Amelia, taking her hands in his.

‘I have been waiting for this day a very long time.’ Jubel kissed Amelia’s hand then waved for everyone to follow him.

‘Come, lets speak somewhere private.’ Jubel continued to hold onto Amelia’s hand, keeping her by his side.

‘You must have a lot of questions,’ he asked her as they walked down the hall, through the wooden door and into a library. Amelia nodded.

‘Why am I here?’

Jubel smiled as he opened another door and directed everyone into an empty chair right beside him.

The table was a fine, solid wood one. Symbols and markings like a clock carved into the face of the table. Before Jubel could speak, Amelia put up her hand.

‘Look, I have a no idea why I am her. My moth… Dees told me to come here. I have some … thing trying to kill me and honestly. I have no idea who any of these people are. Please, no cryptic messages, no flipping people backwards, just tell me what’s going on.’

Harry spoke to her, about the man in the taxi, the drug he injected her with, and the man himself. He told her how they could not just leave her there, so they took her with them, in hopes they would be able to get her some help.

Amelia had thanked Harry, blushing as she took his hand. Jubel grabbed books and set them on the table as Harry and Amelia finished talking. He opened the largest book he had. There was a scripture he opened the book to, describing an ancient prophecy.

‘Long ago, it was foretold of an event, a battle would take place.’

Jubel sat down, waving his hands as he told the legend with his hands. He moved his hands through the air as he spoke. Wisps of light danced and intertwined as he spoke. The light shaped into figures as he carried on with the legend. The wisps moved around the table, dancing, telling their story as they glided closer to everyone.

Amelia, mesmerized by the wisps, reached her hand out. Gently, her fingertips touched one of the wisps, disrupting the story. The wisps wrapped around her hand, through her fingers, then back. Jubel finished his story and the wisps dissipated.

Amelia.’ Jubel spoke softly.

‘Your life is more important than you realize. You were born with a chosen purpose. You, Amelia are Humanities Hope.’ Jubel took Amelia’s hand in his again, but she pulled away.

‘You’re wrong,’ Amelia stood up and walked out of the room.

Harry stood to go after her, but a hand on his shoulder told him otherwise.

‘Leave her be, she needs some time.’ Jubel removed his hand and sat down.

‘Now, there is a reason you are all here. It is not a coincidence that you three came across Amelia, it was destiny. My theory, you were meant to guide her down the right path.’

With annoyance in her voice, Astrid spoke.

‘This woman is an absolute stranger, who in my opinion doesn’t look or seem special in anyway. No offence Jubel, but is there any way you or your people made a mistake?’

He shook his head, but before he responded there was a knock, then someone opened the door, revealing another man in different coloured robes. He quickly walked over to Jubel, whispered something in his ear, and then stepped back. His hood was up and so oversized that you could not see the man’s face.

Jubel stood up slowly.

‘I’m sorry,’ A distraught look on his face. “There is another matter I must attend to.’ Quickly Jubel and the hooded man headed out the door.

Amelia let the door slam shut behind her. She had no direction of where she was going, but she knew she needed to leave the room. As she kept walking, she found a place to gather her thoughts, a confessional. She closed the door behind her and sat down on the little bench inside. She leaned her back against the wall and took a deep breath.

‘What troubles you?’ a voice asked, starling Amelia.

‘I…I just needed some air,’ she said as she exhaled a long breath.

‘So.. You come to a confined area… Makes sense.’ Amelia could not help herself as she started to laugh. Tears rolled down her face as her face as her laughter turned into sorrow the soft - spoken man cleared his throat.

‘Something you want to get off your chest child?’

Amelia chuckled a bit before wiping the tears from her eyes.

Like a confession?’ She asked as she brushed the back of her hand against her leg to dry them off.

‘I’m here to listen. You can confess, cry, tell me a joke, I am all ears.’

Amelia sat there, listening to the ambiance of the church. Lavender filled the air with hints of mint leaves. It reminded her of Dees, when she would make her tea on nights that she had bad dreams.

YEARS EARLIER WHEN AMELIA WAS LITTLE!!

‘Mommy I’m scared!’ Amelia upset as she had her covers pulled over her head. Dees knelt beside her bed, resting her chin on her fist.

‘What are you afraid of my Angel?’

Amelia slowly, pulled the covers down, revealing her big blue eyes and button nose.

‘The giggle man… he comes when I’m sleeping.’ Amelia covered her face once more. Dees shook her head and smiled, pulling the blanket down and revealing Amelia’s face.

‘Come with me my Angel. Mommy has something that might help.’

Amelia took Dees’s hand and slowly got out of her bed. Dees led Amelia down the hall and into the kitchen. She then, picked up Amelia and plopped her next to the sink.

‘What’re we doin’ in the kitchen mommy?’

Dees smiled as she looked at the curiosity in Amelia’s face.

‘Mommy is going to make you a special drink to help you get some rest.’

Dees grabbed a small wooden box out of the cupboard from above the microwave.

‘Ohhh, what’s in there mommy?’

Dees winked at her.

‘Mommy has a special flower to help you relax and get some sleep. Amelia looked confused.

‘A flower?’

Dees giggled as she reached for the valerian root out of another cupboard. She grabbed the kettle and filled it with water.

‘Mommy is that the thing that whistles when it is done?’

Dees smiled and nodded. Amelia smiled and clapped her hands together with excitement. Dees then turned the stove dial till she heard the clicking of the gas and then lit it.

Blue and orange flames burst into life, flickering above the grates of the stove. Amelia oohed and aahed as she watched. Amelia talked about the neighbour kids and her day at school as they both patiently waited. After some time, the tea pot sang its tune and Dees took it off the open flame, turning the dial to kill it. She poured the boiling water into a pink coffee mug with Amelia’s name in cursive white she placed the teabag into the water and used a spoon to stew it.

Amelia watched closely as the steam lifted from the mug. She stuck her nose over the rim and inhaled.

‘MMmmmm mommy, it smells good!’

Dees smiled as she continued to stew the tea. As she lifted the bag out, she grabbed the spoon and gently pressed the bag against it. A mixture of vanilla, herbs and water dripped off the spoon and into Amelia’s mug.

Amelia watched her mother as she opened the wooden box. Dees looked at her through the corner of her eyes, smiling.

‘Would you like to see my Angel?’

Amelia’s eyes lit up, like she was about to find out a big secret. Amelia peeked into the box and there sat a pile of ‘purple coloured’ flower petals.

‘Mommy, are those the flowers?’ Amelia asked as she reached into the box and grabbed a petal out. She gently rubbed it between her index finger and thumb, feeling the soft fibres of the flower. She pressed it to her nose and sniffed.

‘Mmmmm Mommy, it smells so pretty! Is that going in my tea?’

Dees smiled as she nodded, grabbing a few more petals out of the wooden box and dropping them in Amelia’s personal mug.

They both watched as the steam poured out of the mug and the petals slowly sank into the tea as they got wet. After a few minutes of watching, Amelia looked up at Dees.

‘Is it safe to drink?’

Dees smiled at Amelia.

‘Of course my Angel, Mommy would never give you anything that would do any harm to you.’

Amelia looked at her tea again and took it off the counter, bringing it to her lips as she took a drink. Her eyes lit up.

‘That’s is so yummy!’ Amelia continued to drink her tea till it was finished, placing her mug on the counter, and taking Deas’s hand in hers. Dees and she walked back to Amelia’s room where Dees tucked her back into bed.

‘Thank you for the tea, Mommy, it was delicious.’

Dees kissed Amelia’s forehead.

‘Did you want to say a prayer before bed?’

Amelia nodded and hopped back out of bed, knelt next to her bed, and clasped her hands together, intertwining her fingers.

‘Will this help to keep the ghost man away?’

‘Yes my love.’ Dees answered.

‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Let the Angels protect me through the night, until I wake with morning light, Amen.’

Amelia then hopped back into bed an under her covers. Dees tucked her in and wished her a good night’s sleep….