****FREE**** Signs: The Grand Design [Series Book 1]

Episode 2. The Willow

“Where am I? This must be a dream?”, I said out loud. “Great, now I’m talking to myself.”

As I looked around me, I noticed that the meadow was full of wildflowers for miles. The only thing standing in the middle is a large willow tree. I stood up and examined myself. I was no longer in my night clothes but wearing a long white sheer flowing dress and no shoes. Seeing as there was nowhere else to go, I decided to head towards it. The ground was wet with early morning dew and the flowers gave off the most elegant scent. Dandelions, marigolds, primroses and poppies and many other types covered the field for miles. It was the most stunning view and I decided to enjoy the calmness and cool fresh air. I began to run and spin through the weeds. If this was what heaven felt like, I’d never want to leave, and this was better than dreaming about war for a change.

The closer I advanced towards the tree, I noticed its beauty. It was a grand weeping willow. Its gold leaves covered the branches, some falling to the ground. The illu8mination and the aura were captivating, with each glowing pulse. It was like the tree was life itself, each glow of light the beating of a heart. I hadn’t realized that I was no longer walking but standing directly under the willow’s branches. The trunk was beautiful. It had a twisted spiral pattern that grew outward towards the ground and spread around the base. Little vines wrapped around it from the base to the top. As I stood there amazed by its exquisiteness, I found myself reaching out. My hands touched the trunk, and it began to unwind, but I could not let go. The vines loosened from the trees and began to wrap around me, pulling me closer in. I screamed but there was no one to help me.

“This is a dream. Wake up Justice. Wake up. Wake up!” 2

I tried to break lose but it was of no use. The vines had me tight. Two branches began to lower themselves towards me. Then the ends of them looked like spider veins. They hovered above for a while, moving slowly from side to side. I began to panic.

“Please, no. Please! Don’t. Let go!” Tears began to fall.

“Whatever I did, I’m sorry. Just let me go! Wake up dammit!”

The branches seemed as if they were going to recede and with a flash they were connected to my temples. War. Endless battles played in my head. The Trojan war. Love. Scenes of passion and desire also came flooding in. Names. Astris, Themis, Pythia. The moon, constellations, planets. Images projected the past and future. A large army and a serpent rising above all. Visions of a woman were next; her beauty and strength. Her long red hair is neatly braided, coming down over her chest, and flowing onto her lap. On her head is a thin wreath made of baby’s breath and white daisies. Her Doric chiton was loosely fastened, exposing her bare breast and stunning long legs. She lounged in a bed made of fine linen and pillows. A beautiful golden scale lay on the table before her filled with coins overflowing. A wine chalice and an array of the finest foods surround the scale. I began to realize who she was. She was the lady of justice. The oracle. Centuries of knowledge filled my mind, and I began to see things through her eyes. She was me and I her, connected. Then he appeared. In all his glory. Doulbe bladed staff in hand. He was the essence of the sun and his smile as bright as the stars. He placed his strong hand gently on the side of my cheek. I gazed at his beauty. He lowered his head to mine and I went in to place my lips on his.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. 5:30 am. The sound of the alarm woke me franticly. It was just a dream. Relief set in as I looked around my bedroom. I was home, safe and after the night I had, I needed a run. I washed my face with cold water to help me wake up fully and brushed my teeth. I combed my hair into a sleek pony and got dressed. I looked at the clock; 6:00 a.m., right on schedule.

I went to the fridge to grab bottled water before I headed out. I went to take a sip and drank the entire bottle. I grabbed another and began to open it.

“I see someone’s thirsty.”

“Very funny Dad and good morning”, I said as I finished my second bottle.

“Good morning kiddo.” He said as he kissed my forehead. “How was the party?”

“It was okay.”

“Just okay? I heard there was a fascinating dance I missed.” Susan and her big mouth.

“It was nothing, everyone else made it something.”

“So, when do I get to play drill sergeant with this young man?”

“Dad, stop it, you know Aden is Chance’s older brother. His parents are your clients. There’s no need to go all commando.”

“Yes, but I don’t know him as the guy trying to put the moves on my kiddo.”

“Goodbye dad.” I say as I kiss him on the cheek. “See you at dinner, oh wait, I won’t be here.” I say with a smile.

Before he could do his lawyer thing and play fifty questions, I quickly ran out the front door. Paradise Valley was stunning in the morning. The sun was beginning to rise, and it was such a peaceful quiet. I placed my headphones in and put on my workout mix tape. After a few stretches, I was ready to go. I lightly jogged down the driveway and onto the street. I noticed that my jog had become a full-on sprint. I passed a familiar tree which was my marking point when I had run a half mile. I paused and checked my fitness tracker. I ran a half mile in 56 seconds. That’s impossible. “My watch must be broken”, I thought. After all, my next track had only been playing for a minute. I shook it off and started again. This time my feet felt light as a feather. I could feel myself propelling forward at immense speed. Before I knew it, I was back home. No one drop of sweat was on my forehead. I ran two miles in just over three minutes. I couldn’t go inside, there would definit2ely be questions. I decided to head back out. This time I went into the wooded area. If I was some sort of super speed racer, I wouldn’t want anyone else to see me.

Taking a deep breath, I began to run again. I could feel the breeze against my skin as I soared through the trees like a pack animal. I couldn’t help but laugh at my newfound speed, but then I began to worry. It wasn’t a dream. Flashes of fire and screams flood my mind. I came to a halt as I closed my eyes and shook my head to bury the images and more came. His deep kisses were soft and sensual. I could feel the burn of desire at each stroke of his tongue. His hands moved down to the sides of my body as he grabbed my waist and lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around him. He began kissing my neck and I threw my head back, craving more, and I grabbed onto his hair. I could feel his manhood begin to rise and meet my sweet spot. He stopped to look at me and said, “Open your eyes.”

When I opened them, I was kneeling on the ground.

“Open your eyes,” that familiar voice. “Are you okay?”

I turned to find him holding onto me.

“You.” I shoved him off as hard as I could. To say he was very muscular, I seemed to push him back a few feet with ease. “You were at my party yesterday, then mysteriously vanished. Who are you?”

“I think you know who I am Justice.”

His half smile looked more like a sinister grin. He held his arm out for me to help me up, but I slapped it away. I stood up and dusted the dirt off my joggers.

“I see nothing has changed this around. Still aggressive as ever,” he answered with a playful s****l smile.

“This time around? What are you talking about and how do you know my name? If this is some weird stalker s**t, I’ll have my dad file a restraining order. Now I’ll ask you one more time, who the hell are you and why are you following me? How’s that for aggressive?”

I was losing my mind. Two seconds ago, I was daydreaming of him and here he stands. Panic began to set in and all I wanted to do was run, but I couldn’t let him know I was afraid. Plus, I couldn’t move. My body seemed frozen in place, and I felt drawn to him. There was definitely a magnetism connecting us and I wondered if he felt it too.

“I’m not following you.”

“Yeah, well, how do you explain showing up at my house? Now I’m running through the woods, not a person in sight and you suddenly show up here!”

“I’m not following or stalking you. I admit I came to your party. I wanted to see if you recognized me if you remembered. By that almost tumble you took, I believed that meant yes. I left because I didn’t want to cause a scene. As for why I’m here now, you called me here and I came.” He gave me a puzzled look as he leaned back against a tree, arms folded. “Do you really not know me?”

That was an uncomfortable confirmation. As much as I hated to admit it. He was drawn to me as much as I was to him. I could feel his lust for me as he stared at me as his eyes danced with the sun. Behind the lust was love and sensitivity. And I could sense his devotion to me, but it felt more like I could feel his emotions with conviction. Instantaneously, I changed my emotion to anger rather than give into the intensity of my desires. All I wanted to do was place my body close to his and give in.

“Called you? Are you insane? I don’t have your number and I’ve never spoken to you, not one day in my life. How on earth could I call you? So no, I don’t know….”, I froze and said one word, “Micah!”

How did I know that? Memories of him surge through my mind. His touch, his smile, the battle scars I traced with my fingers; they’re all there. I saw him floating in mid-air, his wings open like a soaring eagle. Wings?! How could he have wings? There is no possible way. Stuff like this doesn’t exist. I wanted to ask hi2m, but I didn’t want to give in to my deluded thoughts. It was bad enough that I couldn’t explain how or why this was happening; asking questions would only add to my fear. That this was no dream, this was real and so was he! But if he’s real, that would mean that everything else was too. A lump started to grow in my throat. The sudden strength and speed I now had, the foresight, the field, the memories, the army; oh God, the serpent, and the battle! All real. This was all too much to take in. There had to be a logical explanation. I abruptly snap back to reality.

“Micah! You’ve just been a dream. I don’t understand.”

“I’d explain it to you if you’d like, but what I’m not getting is why don’t you fully remember. The others are their full selves, but you, you’re somehow repressing.”

“Others? There are more of you?”

His smile quickly faded, and his face became hard as stone. “More of you? There are more of us. And the more time you waste trying to deny that you’re putting the fate of the world in danger!”

“Okay, I don’t know what is going on and I don’t care!”, I shouted. “You show up and expect me to believe this nonsense. I had a dream. Get it. And I must have seen you somewhere before and just don’t remember. Not that you’re anything to remember. Leave me alone and stop following me like some creep. You expect me to think that I called you here using some Jedi mind trick. Please.”

“Jedi mind trick? You are the one that’s pretending right now Justice.” Anger boiled up inside me. Before I knew it, I’d slapped him. He didn’t flinch, not one bit. He lowered his head and looked at me with an expression of confusion and anger, but in his eyes there was worry.

“Stay the hell away from me Micah or whomever the hell you are, or I’ll make good on my promise. I’ll make sure my dad gets you locked up and the key thrown in a hole!”

I began to run towards home, looking back on the occasion to make sure I wasn’t being followed. Freak or not, I used all the newfound speed I could to get. When I made it to the front door I couldn’t help but scan once more before I went inside. I was glad no one was home when I got there. There was no possible way I could explain this to my parents, especially private eye Susan. I decided before my date with Aden later, I’d rest. I jumped in the shower, turning the heat up as much as I could stand. I decided to turn on the four body jets and rainfall features. The water soon calmed me as I let it run over my head down my body. Tears began to stream down my face. How could this be? Micah said the fate of the world was in danger. But how? My silent cry quickly turned to a full sob; I balanced myself against the shower wall. Everything that I knew or thought I knew was changing. “Who am I?” I screamed aloud. “Please, if there’s a god, make this go away!”

After a few more minutes, I turned the water off and got dressed and put on some comfortable clothes. My stomach made an awful sound, suggesting I needed to eat something. Laptop in hand, I headed to the kitchen and grabbed an array of fruit, cheese, and a glass of pineapple orange juice. If this was real, it was necessary that I do some research or look for any shred of hard evidence. I recalled one of the names from my dream, Themis. I got out my laptop and typed it in.

Themis: goddess and personification of justice. One of the twelve titan children. Oracle.

Symbol, scales of justice. Goddess? “There is no way I’m a goddess”, I thought. I was 18 not thousands of years old. I typed a new search.

Libra: symbol, scales of justice, seventh sign, constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. Often associated with…… the Goddess of Justice.

“Goddess?!,” I thought. I started pacing back and forth, trying to make some excuse to explain what was happening. "There is no possible way I’m a goddess.” I slam the laptop shut. My mind is telling me there must be a mistake. That I’m reading too much into Micah’s words. My breathing becomes more rapid, and I start to feel nauseous, anxiety is setting in. I’ve suffered with sever anxiety for as long as I can remember, and I have been taking meds for about three years; only when needed. They started after my mom died. My dad was never home, and I had to depend on nannies and sitters. Work became his way of coping with her death. The more he worked, the more I felt I’d lose him too. I had my first attack when I was 11 and dad had me see a therapist. For six months I said nothing, I was stubborn that way. I didn’t want to be there, and I thought that if I was silent, therapy would cease. Not. While in session, I had a vision or daydream of my dad coming home from work and getting into a fatal crash. I lost consciousness for a few minutes, most likely from hyperventilation. Once I came to I told my therapist that I’d talk if he allowed me to speak to my dad. Once I explained to him what happened, I made him promise me that he wouldn’t drive home. I guess the trembling and fear in my voice worried him because that night he came home in a cab. The next morning, he told me all about the eighteen-wheeler that caught fire on the highway after hitting a guardrail. Dad said I saved his life, made a big deal about it, even made a huge breakfast, but I was just glad he was alive.

I didn’t want to think about this anymore and now I was developing an awful headache. I went to my room and took a Xanax. It was still early morning and I needed rest. Turning the television on, I bundled up under my covers and started to dose off to the sound of Dirty Dancing playing in the background.