The next morning I awoke confused.
For the first time in my entire life, my sleep had been void of any dreams. Feeling sick from the absence of our shared dreams, I sat up abruptly looking for Victor, but saw that his side of the bed was empty. Something was terribly wrong. I had never heard of a guide or protector not dreaming of each other. It was one of our greatest gifts from The Light. It was what gave us strength and peace. My head whirled as I tried to process what it could mean and I yearned to talk to Haniel.
Settling on the next best thing, I reached for the phone to call Kate, but dropped the receiver when Victor bustled into the room.
"Oh, good you're up. Haniel came by and we have a new assignment," he said pulling on a clean polo shirt.
"Really? I thought we were going to have some down time?" I said surprised.
"It's local. Some drug lord has set up shop in some abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of town and is using teens to distribute, which is why they're sending guides in."
Still a little confused, I pulled on my robe. Usually we had more time to prepare for an assignment. "Is Haniel still here?" I asked, wondering if I would have time to ask him about the dream.
"No, he already headed out. He left all the details with me." Victor said, pulling on his white crew socks.
"Oh," I said, swallowing my disappointment. "Did he say anything else?" I pried, hoping maybe Haniel had at least taken the time to counsel Victor like he had promised.
"No, why would he? We're adults and can handle an assignment without any handholding," he said, sounding annoyed.
"Oh, I know that. I was just curious," I said, trying to pacify him. I approached him from behind sliding my arms around his midriff hoping to reignite the magic from the night before, but he pulled away from me.
"We have to hurry," he said, pecking me on the cheek, sensing my confusion.
"Why the rush?" I asked as I pulled on a pair of dark jeans.
"Haniel wants us to get there before the dealer can hand out the new shipment he got in last night."
"What about the kids?" I asked, wondering if Lacey could make it over on such short notice.
"I called Lacey and she and her friend Sabrina can watch all the kids at Melissa and Daniel's house since they have a bigger playroom."
I swallowed back my surprise, glad that he seemed excited about this assignment. Lately each assignment seemed to drag him down and I was usually left making all the arrangements.
I finished getting ready and headed out to the living room to pack a bag for the kids. Harmony was in her highchair munching on dry cheerios while Mark sat at the counter on a bar stool eating a piece of toast.
"I get to see Krista," he said happily munching his toast.
"I know sweets, are you excited?" I asked, placing juice and snacks in a bag.
"Hi, sunshine," I said to Harmony placing a kiss on the soft locks covering her head. She lifted her chin and placed her tiny sticky hands on my cheeks to pull me in for a smacking kiss. She loved exuberantly loud kisses. I smacked my lips loudly against hers making her giggle with delight.
Within a half an hour we were in the car on our way to Melissa and Daniel's. I felt flustered from our mad dashing around. Normally we had a few days and an airplane ride to prepare for an assignment. I was really surprised Haniel was throwing us in so quickly. I guess our success rate had moved us up.
I glanced at Victor hoping to get a gage on how he was feeling, and was surprised at the giddy joy that seemed to be flowing through him. It had been ages since I had felt so much happiness in him.
I should have been happy at the change in him, but everything seemed off kilter. He had yet to mention the void of our dreams from the night before, and I was afraid to mention it myself. After this assignment, we were going to have to sit down and discuss things. It was important that we worked on strengthening our bond. Perhaps Haniel could work with us and show us tricks to work it out. Relieved that I had a plan, I settled back in my seat and watched the scenery pass by the window while Mark and Harmony chattered away in the backseat.
Everyone was at Melissa's house when we got there. I was relieved that Sabrina, Lacey's friend, was helping her babysit. All the kids were good, but watching eight kids could still be tough.
Before we left, I knelt in front of Harmony to give her a light kiss. "I love you honeysuckle, you be good," I said sternly, making everyone laugh. Harmony was the happiest, most good natured little girl ever. She had a smile for everyone and I could count on one hand the number of times she had cried in the two years since she was born. Everyone loved her and loved being around her. She was like the sun coming out on a dreary day.
Mark was too busy playing to be bothered with goodbyes, so I blew him a kiss from across the room.
I felt the normal pinch in my heart as we headed out. Although the kids were pro's at handling our absences, I always worried leaving them behind.
We piled into the passenger van Chris and Kate had rented on their way over. I climbed toward the third row, sitting next to Kate and Melissa. Rachel, Nick, and Daniel slid into the second row and Victor claimed the passenger seat up front. The ride was loud and boisterous as the guys bragged about being sent into an assignment so quickly.
"I'm telling you, Haniel knows we have crazy mad skills," Daniel said, high-fiving it with Nick.
"Yep, we're the "unbeatable eight," Nick said, full of confidence.
"You ok?" Kate asked me quietly as the guys got louder and more outrageous in front of us.
"Yeah, I'm just trying to work through some issues. Maybe tomorrow we can grab a cup of coffee at the park and talk."
"Sure, sounds good to me. The kids love the park and Krista will be thrilled to spend the day with Mark again." I laughed at her words. The kids all shared bonds, but Krista and Mark's bond was already quite developed.
Our conversation was interrupted when Chris pulled into an empty parking lot riddled with potholes behind a huge industrial warehouse. He pulled the van into a spot near the back of the lot in the shadows of the trees that was encroaching the space. Victor hopped out and opened the door for all of us. I grasped Nick's hand and stepped onto the uneven pavement.
I used my emotional gage to get a read on the building, but was surprised when I couldn’t pick up on a single emotion. With teenagers involved I had been expecting to encounter several different emotions, ranging from animosity to despair.
Puzzled, I turned to my friends to see if they were getting the same kind of reading, but saw all of them were engaged in their pre-assignment rituals. All of us had our own rituals before we entered an assignment. Kate and Chris always shared a passionate kiss as if it was their last. Nick and Rachel would quietly discuss a strategy, while Daniel and Melissa would hold hands and connect their minds. Victor and I used to have our own ritual, but several assignments ago he had expressed that he thought they were silly and we should be focusing on the task at hand.
My feelings were hurt, but I downplayed them so no one else would know.
Finally when everyone was ready, we quietly headed toward the vacant warehouse in front of us. The protectors walked in front of the guides shielding us from any threat, but the closer we got to the warehouse, it became obvious that the building in front of us was empty. Maybe Haniel had mixed up the days or maybe Victor had written down the wrong address.
I exchanged looks with my fellow guides who shrugged their shoulders with as much confusion as I had.
Victor pulled the heavy warped industrial door open. The metal groaned in protest and we all paused cautiously. After several moments, we proceeded into the building cautiously. The interior of the building was dark and smelt like death, the only light source was the narrow dirty windows at the top of the structure; it took several moments for my eyes to adjust. Finally, my eyes adjusted, but the smell was another issue all together. I placed my hand over my nose and mouth trying to block it out.
"
It's from the bums that camp out in here," Nick said, seeing my look of disgust.
"It smells like it," I said, my voice coming out muffled behind my cupped hand.
The warehouse broke off in three different directions at the end of the cavernous room.
"I say we split up," Victor said, pointing down the three different hallways. "Jenna and I will stay here as lookouts."
"That sounds good man," Nick said, grabbing onto Rachel's hand and leading her down the hall on the right.
Kate and Chris took the hallway in front of where Victor and I were standing, while Melissa and Daniel headed down the far left. I watched their retreating backs, uneasy about the whole situation. Something just seemed off.
I glanced at Victor to see if he was getting the same vibe. I was surprised to see him studying me intently.
"What's wrong?" I asked confused that he was watching me and not being the lookout as he had suggested.
"I have dreamed about this day for years," he said, sounding gleeful. "Well, the dreaming I do that you don’t monopolize that is," he added sarcastically.