Shadow bolted up from a dead sleep drenched in sweat; his covers completely strewn about not only his bed but all over the floor as well. Ahhh damn the nightmare again! He thought to himself shaking out the rumpled sheet and comforter a couple of times. Then sitting on the edge of the bed he reached towards his nightstand and grabbed a bottle of waterâ¦twisting off the cap he downed the whole bottle in one swig. Replacing the cap, he tossed the bottle into the trash and just sat with his head in his hands. Every night for the past three months he had been having these horrific nightmaresâ¦visions of people he didnât know, had never met and for reasons he didnât understand he was killing them!
âShadow, Shadow is everything, all right? Itâs Lucinda can I be coming in please?â Shadow could hear a womanâs worried voice along with a soft but insistent tapping on the other side of the door.
âLucyâ¦uumm yeah please to be giving me a minute, okay?â He responded rising from his bed. He started for the door then paused long enough to levitate a navy-blue cotton bathrobe off of the coat rack in the corner of the room. After slipping it on and tying the sash he opened the door. A slender young woman with sandy brown hair that came down to the middle of her back walked in. All she had to do was look at the state of the bed to know that something was up.
âHad another nightmare did ya now?â She asked him folding her arms across her voluptuous chest that was barely covered by a cotton candied colored satin robe. As she gazed into his piercing indigo eyes; then shook out the rumpled sheets and comforter and then sat down on the bed.
âN-n-nightmare heh-heh-heh darling Iâm for to be having no idea what youâre talking about.â Shadow had slipped into his Romanian-English Pidgeon.
âIâm knowin ya didâ¦youâre forgetin we share a bond! Not only that I could hear ya yelling and if I can be hearing ya then the children are hearing ya as well.â She responded patting the bed next to her. âIt pains me to be knowing youâre going through something and yet ya simply willna talk to me about it!â
âItâs not the sort of thing thatâs easy to being brought up in a conversationâ¦I could for to be going insane you know!â He responded slumping onto the bed next to her and burying his head in his hands.
âWell, ya used to being able to talk to me about everything Shadowâ¦is there another woman?! If there is, yaâd best for to be tellin me right now cause for sure and certain Iâve a right to know!! She suddenly lost her cool and leaped up off the bed.
âOh, draga please to be calming down â¦the bond that we share remember? Now if there was another woman you would have already known about her. He responded first verbally and then mentally, grabbing her hands and gently pulled her back down onto the bed. He gently caressed her hair and passionately kissed her. Her heart began to race and she could feel herself quiver with excitement as he removed her robe and began to fondle her breasts underneath her pink teddy. They were about to give into their passion when she suddenly sat up. âLucy whatâ¦aaahh yes I understand!â Shadow was still kissing her on the cheek and the ear; though he had sensed what she had at the exact moment she did.
âNow why donât we being going downstairs and have a cup of tea and we can hear just exactly why miss Bubble feels she can being coming in at three in the morning and expect ta be being getting away with it?!â Lucinda demanded as the two of them emerged from Shadowâs room to confront the sixteen-year-old girl sneaking up the stairs. When she saw them, she froze and briefly had the look of a deer caught in the headlights.
âUmm heh-heh wwwweeeellll Bubble didnât think yall would be up to nail her on it?â Bubble replied rather sarcastically as she tried to push past the two of them without success as Lucinda quickly latched onto her arm with a vice-like grip. âSooo are yous gonna let go of my arm or are ya going to just wait till it falls off due to lack of circulation.â
âI think Iâll just for to be rippin it out of its socket ta simplify things; now stop trying ta be changing the subject and tell us where the hell yaâve been?!â Lucy responded just as sarcastically and pulled Bubble to within a few inches of her face. Bubble wouldnât get a chance to respond as the phone suddenly began to ring. âWeâre going ta being having a long, long talk missy; go to your room and stay there until Iâve finished with whoeverâs on the phone! OH, good grief itâs 3oclock in the morning who the hell could be calling at this hour!!â She cried her curious f Irish-Romanian accent growing thicker as she stormed down the hallway and then snatched the phone from the base. âHelloâ¦oh Mr. Donovan hello and ta what am I owing the pleasure of such an early phone call?â
âWell, I was just wondering if you were aware of your daughterâs late-night activities?! Because I just caught my sweet little Sharon sneaking in dressed like a $3.00 whore on the Sunset Strip and her car appears to have been in or around a demolition derby!!!! I can only assume that Bubble has only just now come home?!!â Jeremiah Donovan angrily shouted into the phone as he paced in front of his cowering daughter as she sat on the living room couch.
âActually yes, Bubble did just come waltzing in a few moments agoâ¦her father and I were about ta being asking her where sheâs been!â Lucinda answered as sweetly and sarcastically as she could.
âSo according to Sharon, they were in Queens tonight participating in an illegal drag race!!!!â Jeremiah shouted his rage into the phone and then proceeded to telekinetically knock over a chair.
âOh, hmm so they were drag-racing?!!!! Well, that is being quite interesting and I am assuring you we dunna condone what they were doing and she will be being punished and severely.â Lucinda responded shooting an icy-death stare at her daughter who promptly decided that it would be a good idea to not be here right now and she dematerialized into mist and wafted into her room.
âObviously I expect her to be punishedâ¦I just hope that none of the throng of police cars that were chasing not only her, my daughter and Marilyn not to mention all of the countless other drag racers managed to secure a license plate number and then traced it back here to Liberty! Iâm sure I donât have to remind you that our community has worked extremely hard not only building our reputation of not only being âA Haven for the Giftedâ but that we are not a threat to the world at largeâ¦I would simply hate for this to cause DAMAGE to that reputation!â He responded struggling to hang on to his composure and tell her exactly what he thought of her and her family!
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Lucy whatâs going on; whatâs Bubble for to have been doing now?! Shadowâs soothing baritone voice was heard in Lucindaâs mind. The intimacy of their minds touching always had a calming effect and she spaced out for a moment utterly forgetting that she was still on the phone.
âHELLLOOOOO are you still there; I really hope you arenât crying right now!!â Jeremiah raging in her ear brought her back to reality with lightning speed.
Give me the phone loveâ¦he will not for to be being speaking to you in such a manner!!!! Shadow had heard the entire conversation and he teleported next to Lucinda and promptly took the handset from her. Darling I will to be taking care of everything!!! âHello Jeremiah, thisâs Shadowâ¦I donât appreciate the way you are being talking to my wife so I shall be the one to whom you will be speaking to from this moment on. Now as for what our children have done as my wife has already told you Bubble will be dealt with most severely!â Shadow tried to remain as calm as he could but all he wanted to do was to rip this guyâs throat out!!
âWell Shadow I certainly wouldnât want to upset you with how Iâm talking but I think there is a far, far, far more pressing matter that really needs to be addressed!â Jeremiah shouted into the phone shooting a look of death at his daughter since she had dared to even think about trying to move without his permission.
Uuuuummm, hey Bubble I really hope you arenât too angry with me over all of this!!! Sharon telepathically called out to her best friend.
Oh, nooo Sharon why the hell would Bubble be upset with your dumb ass just because yous couldnât keep your god-damn fucking big mouth shut about our whereabouts!!!!! Bubble responded barely containing her rage as she returned to a solid form and began slam-banging about her room. NOW Bubble is gonna be getting reamed forever and a day for this not to mention the fact that Shadow and Lucinda are gonna go full on stalker whenever the three of us get together!!!!
âShadow, I think we had better continue this discussion in person; preferably tomorrow when we all have had a chance to calm down and when someone has had the chance to inform Marilynâs parents about this situation.â Jeremiah was doing the best he could to calm down. I donât appreciate the way youâre talking to my wife!! NEVERMIND the fact that our daughters decided to go and play dragracer in Queens!!!
âSoooo is there anything at all that you would like to be telling us BUBBLE?! I mean now that my hearing has returned since Jeremiah is being done with his scream fest?!â Lucy sarcastically asked as she and Shadow barged into Bubblesâ room.
âHmmm uumm nope canât think of a thang!â Was Bubbleâs sarcastic reply as she stretched out on her bed.
âYa canna think of anything ehh well why donât I ta be helping you OUT?! Letâs start with the fact that you and your friends decided ta not only being taking a late-night trip into Queens but ya participated in a STREET RACE!!â Lucy shouted pacing around Bubbleâs room like a caged tiger. âWhat were ya thinking?! To make matters worse the race was being broken up by the police!!â
âAnd youâre concerned that Bubble and her girls mighta led the popoâs straight here, right?! Oh, please Lucy could ya give me just a smidge of credit HMMM?!!! She was flippin uâs and zig zaggin so God damn much that thereâs NO way she could have been followed! Same applies to my girls we would never do anything to endanger or disgrace Liberty okay?!â
âYa would for ta be getting a smidge of credit, but ya keep pulling stunts like this so your creditâs being denied!!! Iâm hoping the mayor hasna found out about this!! Bah I canna even deal with you right now weâll discuss your punishment in the morning; Shadow letâs go downstairs and have that cup of tea, shall we?â She growled and stormed out of the room with Shadow right behind her.
âOh, my dear what are we going to do with her?!â Shadow sighed as they descended the staircase. He was hoping to change the subject from what they had been discussing!
âAs I said we will be discussing that the morning so dunna try to change the subject; now then where were we about this nightmare youâve been having?â she firmly stated as they entered the kitchen. Shadow sat down at the kitchen table while Lucinda scurried about the kitchen filling the tea kettle with water and placing it on the stove. âWhat kind of tea would you like darling?â She pulled out a canister of her âspecialâ blend a mix of hibiscus, strawberry, and raspberry with just a hint of chamomile.
âWhat you have out will be fine love so, you are certain you want me to tell you about this dream?â Shadow asked in a futile attempt to change her mind; when he realized it wasnât going to work, he slumped in his chair and ran his hands through his hair.
âYouâre not going to be getting outta this, so I suggest ya stop tryingâ¦just for to be tellin me what is for to being going on with ya?!â Lucinda stated pulling two cups from a cabinet and set them down on the table. She then took from a drawer two tea balls and spoons; setting them down next to the cups she plopped down into a chair next to Shadow.
âAs you wish my love; sigh you know that in my past Iâve for to have been assassinating peopleâ¦that was my assignment with GENSIS to ensure that anyone who escaped would for to not being revealing GENSIS to the world. I was only supposed to take out the targets bbbbuuttt if there was a chance that the families or anyone else was informed then I was to be being taking them out also. I exceled at my job; Iâm for to not being sure if thatâs a good thing or notâ¦taking the lives of innocent people.â Shadow stated as he buried his head in his hands while Lucinda came over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
âOh, darling none of that was yer fault! Ya couldna for ta be being helping the fact that those bastards were be bein fuckin with yer mind!! Imma for ta be being surprised none of the others havenât been being going through the same thing as ya!!!â Lucinda said as she sat down in the chair to his left.