The Long Road

To my embarrassment, the shock of hearing the date had nearly made me pass out. Nearly. I really just became very light headed and dizzy, with a small side of panic. At first I was in denial, asking them repeatedly to tell me the date ( their answer was always the same, but with varying degrees of alarm.) before I finally decided that no this wasn't a trick and collapsed on the ground to have a small panic attack. The woman, Diana, was fretting over my condition and instructed Connor to assist me to her home. After two failed attempts at getting me to stand and walk in a straight line, Connor finally gave up and simply carried me to the woman's house. (Dignity had abandoned me it seemed...)

There, I was set in a chair and gently forced to drink some sort of concoction. Might of been tea, I wasn't sure, but it did have the odd achievement of being both tasty, and disgusting at the same time. I think the drink had the desired effect, for it both calmed me, and slapped me back in to focus. When I had finally come back to reality, I noticed that Connor had left, and only Diana remained. She was filling up another cup of Concoction for me when I stood up, trying to take in my surrounding for the second time that day.
“Oh, no no, dearie! Sit, sit!” The Irish woman waved me back in to my seat and brought over another cup for me to drink. Not really remembering how many I had had before, I tried to wave it off,
“ Oh come on dearie, this is the last cup. You'll feel right as rain after this.” I highly doubted this, but drank it anyway, taking four large gulps to get it down fast. Diana took a seat across from me, folding her hands in her lap as she watched me down the contents of the cup, before leaning forward a little, speaking in a calm soothing voice.
“ Now Dearie, can ya tell me what this fuss is about? What put you in such distress?”

I fidgeted with the empty cup for a moment, wondering what to tell her. Can't tell her the truth I thought, Well... Not all of it. That's it, I could give her an edited version. Looking at her I continued to roll the cup between my hands as I begun my story.
“ I woke up this morning to a cold March rain on a farm no where near the Massachusetts territory. The last thing I remember was falling off my horse and in to the mud, only to wake up on the hill just over there.” I said with a wave of my hand in the general direction of said hill. Glancing back at her, the look on her face told me everything; I was a nut job.

I sighed, standing up and walking over to the small counter where Diana had poured my drink. Setting the cup down I leaned on it before turning back to the woman.
“I know I sound crazy, maybe I am. But I swear to you, the last thing I can remember is falling in to the mud at my farm, and then waking up in these woods.” I closed my eye's and rubbed my temple, sighing as I did so, “I just... I can't...” I stuttered before going back to the chair, putting my head in my hands and letting my loose hair fall around my face. I sat there like that for a moment before I peeked through my fingers to stare at my feet. My bare feet. Frowning I brushed back my hair as I stood again.
“I'm sorry,” I said glancing at her, then to my self “I left the rest of my cloths by the river.”

I must of looked a sight to them, with the way I was dressed. Nothing but a dark green tank top and blue jeans. How scandalous... I thought as I took a step towards the door,
“No need dearie, Connor's gone ta fetch your things. He should be back soon.” Diana said as she stood, placing a hand on my arm, she gestured back to the chair I was just in, “Please, sit. From the sounds of it, you're having a rough time, let me get you some more tea.” I obliged, plopping my self back in the chair as she poured another cup for me. I didn't want more tea though, I wanted something stronger. Couple shots of whiskey would be nice. Actually just leave the bottle...

Just as I begun sipping the drink, the door suddenly swung open, reveling a slightly frowning Connor who held nothing but my hat. I frowned at him, where are the rest of my things? I wondered as he took a few steps towards me,
“Are you well enough to walk?” He asked. I stood and nodded,
“Yes, of course.” I paused for a second before wincing slightly “I'm sorry about my episode earlier, it's just that-” I stopped when he held up his hand, giving a small shake of his head.
“You can explain later at the manor,” he half turned towards the door then, extending a hand towards it,
“I took your thing's there. Please, Achilles is waiting for us.” I stood for a second staring at the man, before I just nodded at him. He hadn't shouted, or growled at me to get up and move, he had simply, calmly asked me to come. And yet... And yet I found my self intimidated? Why does he intimidate me?

I brushed it off, I can think on it later, I thought as I thanked Diana for her hospitality and walked out the door, followed closely by Connor. He lead me down a well worn dirt path that seemed to be big enough for a good sized cart. At least it wasn't all gravel.
“Why are we going to see... who did you say... Achilles? Why are we going to see Achilles?” I asked after a few minutes. Connor glanced at me, his brow furrowed in what seemed like confusion.
“Did you not intend to seek him out when you arrived?” It was my turn to look confused, or just more so, as the case may be.
“No, Connor. I didn't intend on seeking anyone out, because I didn't even intend to come here!” I nearly shouted at him, emphasizing my last words by spreading my arms wide. His frown deepened as he slowly came to a stop, giving me a wary look. I was suddenly aware of how armed he was, and how unarmed I was. If this went side ways I was a goner. Lifting up my hat, Connor indicated the small trinket I kept there,
“Is this not yours?”
I looked from my hat to the man holding it, then back again. What the hell does that have to do with anything?
“Of course that's mine. Been mine for a while now, and no, I can't tell you where to find one because it's a family hair loom and-” My voice had been rising till I was near full on yelling, when I finally noticed something that made me stop in my tracks; his belt buckle. It looked almost identical to my arrow head. Connor stared at me for a moment, before glancing down at the buckle and back at me. It was then that I remembered where belt buckles were located and hastily turned away from him, feeling heat rise to my cheeks and ears. We both stood there in silence for a moment, me staring at my toes, and him staring at me, before I finally spoke up. Clearing my throat I sheepishly turned back to him,
“ ah, sorry. I... I'm just, not sure why or how I got here.” I said as I nervously scratched the back of my head, before gesturing at my trinket and continuing. “ Or what any of this has to do with that.”

He remained silent, simply staring at me for a moment, before glancing down at my hat, then back as he slowly offered it it me.
“ Perhaps we will both find answers with Achilles.” He said as I took my hat from him. I gave it a look before I gathered my hair up, twisting it on top of my head, then deftly slipping my hat over it. There, now whatever my come, I could at least meet it with out my hair in my face. We continued our walk in silence after that, allowing me time to take in my surroundings as well as assess the man beside me. As I watched him from the corner of my eye, I begun to understand what had intimidated me so. It was in the way he moved, how he looked at things, and how he reacted to others. Connor was a predator, and judging by his armament, he didn't just hunt the critters of the forest.

I was glad when we finally reached the manor, my bare feet were beginning to feel raw from the short trek, making me almost limp. Once in side, Connor lead me to a large room where an elderly man sat, hunched over slightly in his chair, leaning on his cane. On a table next to the elder were my things; my duster, flannel shirt, a sock (where's the other one?) and on the floor next to them were my boots. One thing, however, was not mine, a gulf-ball sized crystal orb sat next to my duster. The crystal looked pure and was polished to a bright shine, it had lines etched in to it, precise and thought out, with some filled in with gold.
“Achilles,” Connor said, interrupting my captivation of the orb, “This is she.” the old man looked up at me from his seat before slowly standing.
“Ah, so this is the wandering girl, hm? The boy showed me you possessed our symbol, so I am curious as to why you're here.”
Connor jumped in at this point, holding out a hand as if to stop any further questions. “She does not know what it stands for, she simply inherited it.” Achilles eye brows rose at this,
“Inherited you say? Hm, and you were never told what it represented?” I shook my head, feeling my eyebrows draw together in a frown.
“I wasn't aware it represented anything but my family's heritage.” It was true, the story I was always told was that my Great grandfather came to the States from Scotland, met one of the Native American Pottawatomie girls and married her. The arrow head was always assumed to be a gift from her to him. Ta-da my family history.
“So I would take it then, that you know nothing about the artifact?” he said, gesturing to the crystal that sat on my coat.
“It fell from your coat when I retrieved it, I assumed it was what lead you here. I have seen one similar to before.” Connor said as he shifted slightly more towards Achilles, the two of them looking at me with questioning gazes. My frown deepened, causing the dull pain in my nose to recur as my emotions started slipping from confused to angry.
“Look, you want to know why I'm here? Well let me tell you what I told Diana,” I said as I begun to walk over to one of the windows in the room.
“When I woke up this morning it was to a mid March rain out on my farm. I go out to find some wayward cattle and end up taking a fall from my horse. I wake up only to find my self in the middle-of-no-where Massachusetts in sunny mid September weather!” I was shouting now as I pointed out the window, trying to emphasize my point.
“So no,” I growled as I turned back to the duo, “I don't know what this symbol of yours means. Nor do I know- our own for that matter – any of these artifacts.” I hissed the last word as I ripped my hat from my head, pointing emphatically to the arrow head, “THIS is just a bauble, and that-” I said pointing now to the crystal, before stomping over to it and snatching it from the table to shake in their face. “This is just an over sized marble!” I said. Or meant to say, For as soon as my hand closed around the crystal, a painfully bright, blinding light exploded from it, engulfing the world for a moment before dimming. It took a few seconds before I could see my surroundings again, and what I saw, wasn't welcome in the slightest.

“Oh God dammit...”

The Manor was gone. The woods were gone. The world seemed to be gone as I stood in an empty, endless space softly lit by an unknown source.
“There you are...”
I spun around when I heard a deep unfamiliar masculine voice resound in the void. I saw no one however, and begun to turn in circles in search of the owner, only to see the vast Endless Expanse of Nothing greet me.
“Hello?” I said, hearing my voice echo through the Nothing. I suppose I should have been terrified, or shocked or whatever to find my self in this place, but at the moment I was just mad to find my self in yet another strange location by means of unknown transportation.
“Almira Iris Woodson, I've been waiting for you.”
suddenly forming right in front of me was the image of a man. He looked a little like the portrayals of Zeus, tall, clothed in robes and had a damn good beard. But really, all that concerned me at the moment was that he was see through and knew my name.
“What?”
The thing smiled at me. He smiled at me as if he were my father, kindly teaching me the ways of life. If he try's to pat me on the head I swear I will find a way to smack that condescending smile off his face...
“I have been waiting for your arrival, for the beginning to begin.”
“... What?”
“ It is difficult to explain to one who has not interacted with us before, nor has knowledge of our existence.” he said as he begun to pace, a slow almost lazy gait. “Suffice to say, we came... from before.”
“Before what?”
I snarled at the thing as I followed him. In response he extended his hand and a dozen different images materialized around us, all of people who looked very much like him residing in some sort of futuristic society. In some of these images there was a clear depiction of slavery, the tall, robed individuals presided over a group of (usually) unclothed people, wielding an orb that looked similar to the “over sized marble” I had. I went to glance down at it, only to realize that not only was I not holding anything in my hands, my own cloths had up and left me as well. If that wasn't disturbing enough, I had glowing lines racing their way a across my body.
“ What the HELL?!” I squeaked as I ignored the images to stare at my self in near horror. The man turned back to me then, causing me to try in vain to cover my self. “Where the hell are my cloths!” I shouted at him. His response was to simply smile,
“This Nexus was built in haste, built for you and your path.”
“Me?! My path? And what the hell is a Nexus?” and that really didn't answer my question about my cloths... He turned and begun walking again, gesturing for me to follow.
“The Nexus is where we are child, a place where I can speak to you, about what is and what will be.” I was beginning to suspect that I would only receive cryptic words in response, from the Zeus like man before me. Before I could ask another question, however, Zeus spread his arms wide as he begun to speak.
“Long ago, we sought to save the world from the inevitable.”
at this a dozen images of the world on fire appeared, but it was a fire the engulfed the world, seeming to destroy everything. The images changed then, showing the tall robed beings fighting their slaves, but a few of the slaves seemed... different.
“war blinded us to what was coming, until it was to late. We could not save the world then.”
Again the images of the earth on fire appeared, only now it showed cities crumbling and people dieing along with it.
“We could, however, help the future prepare. So we devised a way, but in the end we were deceived. One of our own sought a way to rule instead of save, and rule she will.” He said as he stopped walking and all the images disappeared.
“But only for a time. For you Almira, are the beginning to her end.” He said with obvious pride in his voice as he looked down at me. To be truthful, I still didn't understand anything, it just seemed all so... mythical to be true.
“What do you mean 'the beginning to her end'? How can I be a beginning to something in the future when I'm not there to begin it?” this was getting confusing.
“Because the beginning doesn't start where you came form, it starts with where you are.” … Things were making less sense as time went on... “Juno saw her path to rule, and became fixated on it. So much that she did not notice those who stood beside it. You Almira Woodson, are the unforeseen anomaly in her plan. You will be overlooked, and it is there that you will start the beginning.” He smiled at me again, but it wasn't a happy smile, it was apologetic.
“I tell this to you, so you will understand why. Why you can not go back.”
It took me a moment to puzzle that one out, and when I did dread begun to settle in my gut.
“Wait what are you saying? What do you mean I can't go back? You mean go back home don't you, you're saying I can't go back home?”
The smile that was on his face slowly fell as he nodded.

“But I have a family! I have sisters and parents and nieces and nephews, not to mention all of the other people I love! I can't just leave them!” I might have been crying at this point. I wanted to cry.

“You have left Almira, and they will mourn your absence, but they will live on. Your presence here will ensure there freedom in the future. Does that not give you comfort?”

“No...” I heard my voice crack as it echoed through out the Nothing. “I don't see how I can help them be freed from future domination by being in the past!” I croaked at him.

“Because this is the beginning. You are the beginning. You will guide and be guided, and learn and teach many things, here, with them. Here, with the ones who bear the symbol.”

Around us the room exploded in to a thousand of the tear-dropped shaped symbols. They varied in style from one to another, but they were all definitely all the same. All like my trinket.

“Go child, begin the future, begin the light of hope.” He reached down and gently clasped my head in his hands. I wanted to bat them away, but as soon as he touched me the space erupted in to light again, but this time didn't fade right away. Instead the light kaleidoscoped in to broken bits of images and sound, as if they were memories seen through shards of glass.
I looked down my arrow shaft, lining it up to its target before letting it fly – looking down at my shaking hands I could see they were covered in blood – standing in the manor I was facing Connor and Achilles, both of whom were smiling at me – my hand was laced with another's, as I watched children run and play with each other – I saw two young men stand smiling at me, one held a babe, the other held the hand of a woman

Time jumped I was no longer me,

Struggle in war, a civil war. My friend died as I held his hand – a pretty nurse tended my wounds, smiling sweetly at me – I held a new born baby in my arms, she cried at the sight of the world

Time kept jumping, I saw generations of lives flash before my eyes before it finally stopped at one memory.

She had taken over, unknown and unwanted. For generations my family had fought for freedom, now was no different, I had knowledge others didn't. I had ability's she could not dominate. I will lead. I will be her end.

The Kaleidoscope of memory’s ended as the light took over again, fading slowly to revel the ceiling of a sun lit room. Slowly I sat up, seeing that yes, I was still in the manor, and that someone (most likely Connor) had moved me to a seat that resembled a couch. I looked around the room, just then noticing Achilles and Connor sitting by one of the windows, as if they were waiting for me to wake up.
“I see they've decided to let you rejoin us.” Said Achilles as he slowly stood from his seat and made his way over to me.

I looked down then at the crystal in my hand, only to find white glittering dust leak out from between my fingers. The orb had disintegrated. I looked up at Achilles, who simply looked at the dust and sighed.
“Seems it was meant just for you child.” I sat there a moment, staring at the remnants that had told me everything and nothing at the same time.
“It wanted me to learn what the symbol means.” I finally said in a voice that sounded distant to even me. I looked up from the dust to Achilles, trying hard but failing to keep tears from falling,
“I can't go home.”
I clenched my eye's shut as more tears begun to blur my vision, hiding my face in my knees as I wrapped my arms around my self, one hand still holding the dust, the other, longing.