The Curse Conduit
Chapter 12

Elizabeth sat waiting for Kimberly to join her for a late lunch. For the last few weeks she had been battling to keep her sanity and after talking to Kimberly over the phone she decided to meet her, talk to her, see if she could make sense of what was happening to her.

As Kimberly entered the restaurant and saw her best friend her heart sank. She looked awful; her skin was pale, almost opaque, with dark rings under her eyes. It was as if her eyes themselves had lost their colour. “My God Lizzie. I know you said you were having trouble sleeping but you look dreadful. Have you seen a doctor?”

All Elizabeth could do was shake her head as a small tear escaped and ran down her face. Maybe seeing Kimberly was not such a good idea.

Kimberly reached over the table and took her friends hands as she saw her tears. “Lizzie…What the hell is the matter?”

“I think I am going crazy Kimber.”

This had not been the answer Kimberly was expecting. Not from her friend. Elizabeth was the tough one; she was the one who people called on in times of trouble. As long as they had known each other Kimberly had never seen Elizabeth in such a state and it scared her. She squeezed her hand. “Whatever it is Lizzie we’ll figure it out together. I’m here for you.”

They ordered lunch but neither one ate as Elizabeth told Kimberly the reason she was not sleeping and Kimberly became more and more stunned.

Elizabeth felt totally exhausted after she had finished her story. “See I told you. You don’t believe me. I hear my own words and it sounds crazy but I swear to you Kimber. It has all happened. I feel like I am being pulled into a life that is not mine. Two lives actually.”

Kimberly swallowed hard before she answered. She needed to be very careful about how and what she said. She did not want her friend to shut her out, afraid that if she did she would stop talking to her. “You say that Derek from Synergy is in all your dreams?”

Elizabeth nodded her head. “Yes. He has replaced Danny and Declan. No that’s not right. He is Danny and Declan. Oh God this is so hard to explain.” Elizabeth looked at her friend with wild, anxious eyes. “I’m afraid to go to sleep Kimber.”

Again Kimberly squeezed her hand. “But they are just dreams, no matter how real they feel. You can’t stay awake forever Lizzie. They are just dreams.”

“Then tell me how a dream explains this?”

Elizabeth opened her hand to show the gash in her palm. It was angry and red but healing.

Kimberly gasped. “How the hell did you do that?” She knew the story behind Elizabeth’s dream but did not want to believe what she was seeing.

“Kimber, it’s me in those dreams and I don’t wake up when Danny or Declan die anymore. I keep dreaming, keep living until I die.” By now Elizabeth’s face was washed in tears. “Oh God Kimber. She loved them so much, she was so sad for so long.”

“She loved who? I don’t understand.”

“Beth-Elena and Bethie. They loved Declan and Danny so completely. The hurt of having to live without them is overwhelming.”

Elizabeth’s words were starting to scare Kimberly; she kept slipping into describing things like she had been there. “Lizzie…. I am trying so very hard to understand all this but how could you know how these women felt?”

Again with tears running down her face Elizabeth opened her hand to reveal the gash. “Because it is me.” Pleadingly she looked at Kimberly. “Help me.”

Kimberly gathered their things, left money on the table for the uneaten lunch and guided her friend from the restaurant. They rode back to Elizabeth’s home in silence in the back of a cab. Kimberly trying to think of ways to help her friend. Dream or no dream, whatever was going on was affecting her badly.

Elizabeth was just trying to keep her mind empty. Trying not to think of anything at all.

By the time they arrived Kimberly had decided that she was going to move in for a while. Keep an eye on her friend.

“Lizzie. I am going to go home and collect a few things then I am coming right back. I think I need to stay with you for a while. Will you be okay for an hour or so?”

Standing on the footpath looking into Kimberly’s eyes Elizabeth nodded and in a weak voice said. “Thank you.”

As she shut the cab door Kimberly rolled down the window. “An hour tops and I will be back. Make yourself some tea okay.”

Elizabeth stood watching the cab drive out of sight. She did not notice the other cab that went passed. The one carrying Derek and his friends to the hotel just down the street from her home.

Uriah had been looking absentmindedly out the window when he had seen her. His heart raced and little beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. It was Bethie and it was Beth-Elena. Standing there looking so forlorn, looking like they had in his dreams. He could almost hear Beth-Elena’s cry as Declan died. He could feel Bethie’s sorrow and pain when she knew that Danny was dead. A small panic started to rise in him as they passed Elizabeth. Was she somehow involved? Uriah tried to suppress his thoughts. It was just a coincidence. But how had she come to be in London when they had last seen her in the north of the country? Uriah turned to look at Derek who thankfully was sitting on the other side of the cab looking out the other window.

Elizabeth went into her apartment but instead of making tea she went to sit next to the window, being exhausted she was soon asleep, asleep and dreaming.

The men from Il Divo busied themselves with checking out the hotel and the services it had available. Uriah was happy to see that they had a fully equipped gym including a swimming pool. Derek was happily plugging in his IPad and X Box and smiled when he found the list of DVD’s available. Considering he did not plan on doing much sleeping the DVD’s would come in handy.

Simian was very impressed with the 24 hour room service menu and when Casta found out that the hotel had a night club he was equally pleased. They were all trying to divert their attention to anything but the real reason they had chosen to spend more time together.

Derek had managed to check his emails and when he read the one from the genealogists he text his friends. Ten minutes later they were all gathered in the Derek’s room.

“I got an e mail from Angus. You know the history guy who was trying to track down information for us.”

The other three all nodded so Derek continued giving Uriah a curious look as he did. “It appears that you and I were fated to be together Uriah.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Derek pointed to his laptop. “There are reams and reams of information from Angus but the summary he did pretty much explains it all.”

Uriah was feeling a little uneasy. “Spit it out Derek.”

“Declan, Danny and I are related.” Derek watched as the expressions of his friends faces changed.

Casta spoke up. “But they died did they not?”

Derek nodded. “Yes. As far as I can figure out I am related to Declan through his brothers line and that line is connected to Danny and through some cousin or someone Danny is connected to me. They are my ancestors. We are family.”

Simian was already sitting down shaking his head and Casta was muttering to himself in Spanish. Uriah looked at Derek. “But how does that mean we were fated to be together?”

Derek took a deep breath. “I guess it doesn’t but Uriah. It is the same for you and Uri and Urian. You are all related.”

Silence gripped the room as the four men digested the information they had just been given.

Uriah continued to stare at Derek dumfounded. He had not expected Angus to come up with anything more than some back ground information on Urian. He certainly had not expected to find out he was related to the men in his dreams, both men. He was even more surprised to find out that his family and Derek’s had been connected through history. “Derek this has to be a mistake. Angus has made a mistake. I don’t recall any knights or Vikings in my family’s history.”

Derek smiled wearily at his friend. “Like I do! We need to check this out a bit more.” With that Derek began to send a text. “I’m going to see if Angus can meet us. We really need to make sure this is one hundred percent right.”

Uriah went to stand next to the window. He already knew what Angus would tell them. Deep down the pit of his stomach shifted, his blood grew cold and his chest constricted. Angus would tell them there had been no mistake. He began to leave the room when Simian put a hand on his arm. “Uriah….”

“I’m fine. Going to the gym. I need to work some of this stress off.” Without another word Uriah left them to their own silence.

Dreams and reality were being woven together and the line between the two would be forever blurred.

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