“They gave your secret away, the girls - they were not supposed to let me see how you manipulated me, were they?”

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1642

“It no longer mattered. The outcome I think was already inevitable - because of Smaragda. Anna, I had not thought, she has been exposed to some terrible truths of life. Please explain to her that if there are horrible people like those she saw tonight, she must not forget that there are the others, those who love and protect life. As a Cherinian she will be safe forever from people like them.”

“How can I apologise for what I tried to do?”

“There is nothing to apologise for Anna. That was a different person, one who had been wounded and did not know how to deal with it. Welcome dear Anna. We will talk later…and, we still have to take Smaragda to the void. Think on this - could we make your husband a Cherinian and would you want him as part of your circle if he could?”

“You looking for challenges?” She gave a bitter smile.

“That smile does not belong to you anymore. It will take you a while to get rid of the old Anna, just watch out for her and do not give her any space in your life anymore.”

“Thank you. Goodnight Roberto, Dominique and Cherine.”

1643

PART TWENTY FOUR

Chapter One Hundred Seven

The Smaragda gift kept on hitting us all at odd moments, making it difficult for those who happened to be driving or in a meeting and so on. We dealt with it and not one of us thought to complain. We were too grateful for the wonder it brought to us.

Anna did not call us the next day and we felt her wish to be alone with her daughter, to think things through. We knew what bothered her, but set the protector to watch over them. We could not afford to allow any mishap to deprive us of her miracle girl. Not that even death would have been allowed to do so. I would have broken every rule to bring her back.

As often happens with coincidences, we had a phone call from Anna two days later. She was hysterical. “He came home this morning and told me he is filing for a divorce. He said he wants to be free to live the kind of life he wants!!”

“I’m sorry Anna. Would it help if Dommi comes to be with you?”

“No. You come over - please.”

“Is that wise? If he is looking for a divorce, having another man in your home at this time might not be a wise move.”

She was silent a moment. “Are you afraid to come Roberto?”

I jumped over, she was still waiting for my answer and misconstrued my silence.

“I’m sorry Roberto, that was stupid and uncalled for. Please say you are not angry with me.”

“Mamá…”

“Quiet Smaragda, I’ve upset Roberto, please don’t interrupt, I have to get him to understand I did not mean it.”

I grinned at Smaragda and winked. She giggled and Anna swirled to look at her. She turned to see what she was looking at and gave a start. Angry for a second she then sheepishly put down the phone.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Smaragda, would you like to play with the girls? You can jump there on your own if you want.”

“How?”

“You will feel me in your mind. It is a strange tickly feeling. I will show you how to open the gift so that you can.”

It was accomplished easily and I waited for her to jump. She didn’t.

“I want to stay here. Did you know my daddy does not want me and mummy anymore?”

“Did you tell her that Anna?” My voice was soft and low and she did not know me well enough to understand how angry I was.

“No. He did. He told her she is a big girl now and can manage without him, so he can be free to go and live his life.”

“Oh god!” By now I knew Smaragda inside and out. I knew she was hurting. I knelt by her and hugged her.

“A very, very nasty idea has come to me. Do you both want to punish him? I warn you both - it will hurt him a lot if he loves either of you at all.”

“Would it be bad of us Roberto?”

“No. Not at all Smaragda. Anna, even a Cherinian is allowed to strike back if hurt.”

1644

“If he does not care for us, it will not hurt him?”

“It would, but not as much.”

“Do it.”

I used the phone.

“Savva. Smaragda. She has been badly hurt. I will need your co-operation. Send over a police car and ambulance. Mother and daughter decided to commit suicide. Do Not allow them to be cut open. Arrange it with your relative. They will wake up after five or six hours. Notify the husband right now please. You can say Anna called.”

I turned to two horrified females.

“I will use my healer to put you both into a sleep that will look like you are dead. Do not be afraid, I will not let anything bad happen to either of you. My protector has been guarding you both since Taiwan and will continue to do so. Are the two of you curious as to how he will react? You are taking a risk - if he does not care you will know it. Are you both sure you want to know?” They both nodded. “Both of you, quickly write him a very short note. Smaragda, say you are doing this because he does not love you. Anna, write you found your dead daughter and cannot live without her.”

“Gammoto, but you’ve got a nasty mind.”

“I was not aware that ladies of your class use words like those. Quick now, the cops will be here soon.”

By the time the siren could be heard, their bodies were cooling - the healer was speeding it up. I made my body not visible to human eyes and watched as the cops broke in and medics checked them.

“Fuck!! They are both dead. What a waste! Why did she have to kill her daughter?”

“Hey, there are two notes here. Christe mou! She did not kill her daughter. The daughter committed suicide because her father told her he does not love her anymore and the mother found her and killed herself too. Guys, I have a child and know I could never do this to my child. What a fucking bastard he must be, I could kill him!!”

The other one shrugged, more hardened to life. “That is how these rich people are. No point in upsetting yourself.”

“Fuck you, you don’t have a child! How would you know how this feels.”

He gently caressed the face of Smaragda, pulled himself together and stood up, pulling his notebook out and writing. I jumped over to Savva. He sensed me and got rid of his assistant. I sat opposite him and became visible.

I told him what had happened.

“This has to be your idea.”

“Afraid so. Savva, I am so angry, you know this new gift, I was feeling her pain inside me. To make a child feel like that!!”

“If you had let me talk I would have tried to stop you. When they are found to be alive, he will use this to try and take the daughter away.”

“He can try, he will not succeed.” My eyes must have been cold and hard for he shivered. “Have you notified him?”

“I did not find him. I told his secretary what happened, she promised to let him know.”

“I wish I could see his face when he hears.”

The phone rang. From his face I knew it was him and extended my hearing so that his words were clear to me.

1645

“My secretary called me, she told me it was urgent I call you. She was crying. What has happened?”

*Ask him where he is, I need an exact address.*

“Please give us your address, we will send a police car to pick you up.”

“What for, I can come in my car.”

“It would be better you do not drive now. Your address please, sir.”

He gave it. I changed back to being invisible and jumped. It took three jumps, but I found him. He was in an apartment with a girl of about twenty. I watched as Savva told him. He wiped his hand over his face.

“I’ll be waiting for your car. Thank you for calling.” He closed the phone.

“What is it my love?”

“My daughter. She killed herself because she thought I don’t love her.”

The girl was horrified. Weeping, she tried to embrace him, but he pushed her away. “Don’t, you will only weaken me. I have to identify them and face the cops.”

“Them!?”

“My wife found my daughter and killed herself also.”

He left a girl distraught, guilt eating away at her. He held himself rigid as he waited on the pavement. A police car pulled up and he got in. I returned to Savva.

*The bastard did not show any emotion. Where is he being taken?*

*I’m going there, follow me.*

The two bodies were already in the morgue. A young man stood over them. He reached down with a scalpel. Savva made to shout, but I stopped him. I wanted to see how the protector would react. The man hesitated, put the scalpel down and went to his desk and took a book off the shelf. As he sat there reading I congratulated the protector for acting so discretely.

The father arrived. He looked at both of them. He returned to his daughter and his fingers trailed down her cheek.

“Why moro mou? I did not say I don’t love you.” I saw his fingers were trembling. He took a deep breath and turned to Savva.

“It is my daughter and wife. How did they die, did they take poison?”

“We were waiting for you. We will cut them open to check, soon as you leave.” I knew this was not standard procedure, the police do not speak in such an unfeeling way to the relatives of a victim, for Savva to say it that way he was angry.

“Cut them… do you have to?”

“Why? They are gone. What you see is just meat and bone. Whatever pain they felt has now ended for them. They will not feel the knife.”

“You blame me?”

“I saw the note your daughter wrote.”

Savva thrust it at him to read, but his eyes refused to focus on the sheet. “I have to go. Do you need me to sign any documents?”

“I’ll need a statement. Thanassi, take the gentleman and get him to sign a statement. Get all the details of what he said or did.”

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I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{9th October, 2019}

* posted: 9th October, 2019

If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 04, use this link button to open the LC Book Index: