Mother of Darkwaters: Book one of the Vessel series (100 page)

   She releases the hug and steps back, “How you guys been?”

   “A living terror,” Gale informs while she hands off her car keys to a guy wearing a white tuxedo, “She wouldn’t shut up about your Olympic-sized pool.”

   Julianna laughs.

   “Come here, you,” Julianna says while holding out her arms.

   Gale embraces her friend, “Missed you.”

   “You, too.”

   Julianna steps back and looks at her butler, “Don’t scratch it. And bring their stuff to the West wing – second floor.”

   “Yes ma’am.”

   “Nice ride,” Julianna grins at Gale, “I bet that was a pretty penny.”

   “Medical school isn’t five-hundred k, either.”

   Alexandria points towards the red Ferrari, “And
she’s
been a living terror over
that
.”

   Julianna laughs. She had almost forgotten how funny these two can be.

   “Well,” Julianna admires the Ferrari, “I like red. It suits you.”

   “Thanks.”

   Gale looks at Alexandria. The woman has already made her way to the top of the stairs on the patio. Gale pokes out her tongue.

   “That car can’t spring me into a pool. Now let’s get to it.”

   Julianna and Gale exchange knowing smiles. Gale looks at Alexandria again. She raises her right brow slightly.

   “Forgetting something?”

  Alexandria drops her shoulder bag in defeat. Julianna gives the two women a curious look as Alexandria walks forwards and sits down on the top stair like a sullen child. The woman with sandy blond hair stares at Gale.

   “Fine, but they better hurry up. Otherwise I’m going swimming.”

   Gale rolls her eyes, “No you’re not. You don’t have it in you.”

   “It is an
Olympic
pool – just try me.”

   “What are you guys talking about?”

   Gale flips her shoulder-length curly brown hair with her right hand. She watches her Ferrari exit the circle drive for the direction of the huge garage.

   “Stop that,” Alexandria chastises, “Don’t leave her in suspense.”

   “We brought friends with us,” Gale says with a smile.

   Julianna looks towards the empty Ferrari with confused eyes.

   “Ma’am?”

   Julianna turns. Captain Brian Woods is standing near the right corner of her home.

   “Yes?”

   “You have a few guests waiting for you in gazebo five,” the captain informs.

   The twelve gazebos, Julianna numbered according to the hours on a clock. Gazebo six would be the closest one to the house.

   “Who is it, Captain?”

   “I think it would be better for you to come and see for yourself, ma’am.”

   Julianna searches Alexandria, Gale, and Brian for clues. Their expressions give her no answers. She begins walking.

   “What are you three up to?”

   Julianna follows Brian around the corner of the house to the backyard. Gale and Alexandria nearly trip each other while following close behind. Julianna spots gazebo five and shakes her head with a smile.

   “Julianna!”, Caroline calls out. The girl runs towards her cousin. Behind her, Rebecca and Jennifer follow closely.

   “Quad-hug,” Caroline announces as she springs to a stop by her cousin. Soon as Jennifer and Rebecca arrive, the four friends hug tightly.

   When they separate, Julianna looks at Rebecca. She walks up with a smile and embraces the blond with another hug, “I accept you
wholeheartedly
Rebecca Hindsworth.”

    “Thanks mom,” Rebecca plays.

   Julianna steps back, “It’s Julianna.”

   “Told you,” Caroline says victoriously.

   Jennifer chuckles.

   Julianna notices blank ink swim its way across Rebecca’s right eye, but doesn’t say anything.

   “Is that it?”

   “There’s a little more to it than that,” Julianna answers Rebecca, “But basically, yeah. You’re official.”

   “It’s about time. With all that happened, I didn’t think we’d ever get to do this.”

   Julianna’s eyes sadden.

   Rebecca decides to change the subject by waving at the two women standing closer to the house, “Hi, we made it.”

   “I see that,” Gale says from about twenty feet away. She begins walking with Alexandria and Captain Woods.

   Julianna turns and looks at Gale, “You know them?”

   “Well…”

   “It’s his fault.”

   Julianna looks at Caroline’s pointing finger. She implicates Brian Woods.

   Julianna crosses her arms, “Captain?”

   “Yes ma’am’, the captain gives his explanation, “Ms. Hindsworth, Ms. Hammond, and Ms. Reynolds graduated. I knew they would be coming. I setup their arrival to coincide with Ms. Marshall and Ms. Thompson. They met each other in Texas and then separated to come here.”

   “Hmm,” Julianna answers, “It was really nice of you Captain. This has turned out to be a
very
good day. Thank you.”

   “Ma’am,” the captain nods one time. He turns and walks back in the direction of the house to give the ladies their space.

   “Yaaaay,” Alexandria golf claps her obvious faked-enthusiasm. When the other women look at her, she slumps her shoulders, “SwimmmmM. Let’s all say it together. SwimmmmM.”

   “Alex, stop that,” Gale halfheartedly scolds.

   Julianna glances to Caroline, Rebecca, and Jennifer. The three friends seem to be amused by the comradery between the two medical students.

   “I should probably show everyone to their rooms,” Julianna replies, “So we can get Alex to the pool before she dries out and withers away. Just remember, this house belongs to all of you as much as it does me. You don’t need my permission to do anything here.”

  “I’m outta here,” Alexandria says while turning towards the house, “I know where
my
pool is.”

   “Will you please stop?”, Gale begs. She looks at Rebecca, “I told you that we shouldn’t let her do it.”

   Alexandria turns back around to face the other five women, “What? Oh, well let’s kick this off then.”

   The woman having long sandy blond hair stares at Julianna, “They’re so impatient.”

   Julianna notices strange smiles on the rest of her family’s faces. She lifts her left brow slightly.

   Alexandria grins and motions with her head.

   Julianna turns to look. Jennifer towers over her just inches away.

   “It wasn’t her fault,” Jennifer says. She takes a step leftward, “Gazebo twelve, I think is what Captain Woods said it was called.”

   Julianna shields the sun from her eyes with her left hand used as a visor. Off in the distance, she makes out a person with a dark tan and long legs. She lowers her shaky hand and looks at Jennifer with confused eyes.

   “Go,” Jennifer says.

   Julianna turns her attention back towards the gazebo. The figure, slowly, begins walking. Julianna covers her open mouth with trembling hands.

   Alexandria gently pushes on Julianna’s back. She coaches quietly, “Step, spring, dive...” The woman with sandy blond hair lets go when Julianna begins moving forward of her own accord. Alexandria glances around at the other women who are all watching with eyes of anticipation. Julianna’s swim coach turns her attention back to her student, “You’ve got this.”

   Julianna sees a woman walking towards her. She is wearing a dark blue dress. It shimmers against the sun that illuminates it. The high hem rides mid-thigh. The silk material is decorated with black lacing. Its design is one of a kind. Julianna should know. She picked it out. But the last time she seen it was at the farmhouse with...

   “Tam?”, Julianna questions quietly with her unsure step. The woman from Gazebo Twelve continues her approach as Julianna forces her next confusing step. The dress moves within the slight breeze of the day.

   “Tam?”, Julianna’s words whisper though her quivering lips, “Tam?”

   Julianna’s heart begins racing with hope, but her mind tells her struggling feet that everything is an outright lie. Her questioning mind refuses to calculate correctly as she forces another step.

   “Nice place you got here,” a voice calls out from the distance.

   Julianna’s eyes water, “Tamara!”

   She takes off running.

   “Ooomph,” Tamara Hillary Stilliard takes a step back as Julianna jumps up – locking her pale legs around Tamara’s waist. “Heh…hey you.”

   Julianna’s hands cup Tamara’s cheeks as she pecks kisses on the woman’s thin lips. Her eyes freely release their water.  She can feel Tamara holding her with wrapped arms. Julianna pauses to search Tamara’s brown eyes, but the view is too much for her to grasp. She tightly wraps her arms around the woman, buries her face on Tamara’s right shoulder, and weeps.

   “I thought you were dead,” Julianna cries into Tamara’s shoulder, “They told me you were dead.”

   “I know - I know. Shhh….it’s okay. I wanted to tell you, but they said it would place you into danger. I couldn’t bear the thought of you getting hurt. I am sooo, soooo sorry.”

   Julianna is unable to speak. She squeezes tighter as she lets out more sobbing tears.  

   “Stupid lesbos.”

   Rebecca looks at Jennifer after hearing the quiet words. Tamara’s bff is wiping her eyes and cheeks. She catches Rebecca watching her.

   “What?”

   Rebecca smiles while wiping water from her own blue eyes.

   “Pffft,” Jennifer gives Rebecca a look as though she is misjudging the situation. She turns her attention back towards Tamara in hopes that Rebecca will just let it go.

   “Awww,” Caroline coos, “This is so beautiful.”

   Rebecca observes Jennifer act as though there is something horrible in her mouth. The blond with long curly hair rolls her eyes.

   “Not in this life,” Rebecca says while turning her watchful gaze upon Tamara and Julianna, “Nice try, Jen.”

   Julianna forces her head back up. Tamara’s left hand begins wiping the tears from her right cheek. The tall woman adores Julianna with her watery brown eyes.

   “I love you…
Julianna
.”

    Julianna lets out a single laugh while gazing into Tamara’s wonderful eyes.

   “Caroline was sort of a bitch about letting me come here,” Tamara confesses quietly, “I had to make promises and everything. She was worse than those CIA people.”

   “You’re not mad?”

   “No, you should be the one that’s angry. Not me.”

   Julianna shakes her head as her eyes begin stinging once again. She feels Tamara’s legs become shaky. Julianna removes her legs from the woman’s waistline and lands her bare feet onto the grass below. Tamara looks down at her with the most beautiful smile she has ever seen in her entire life. Julianna’s lips quiver as her stinging eyes release more water.

    “It’s all over now.”

   Julianna sniffles while wiping her green eyes clear. Tamara patiently waits as Julianna calms herself. She watches the woman with red side-bangs stagger in a few breaths before, finally, taking one long inhale. Julianna exhales a slow steady breath while staring into Tamara’s eyes.

   “What happened?”, Julianna questions with a semi-hoarse throat.

   “That sick idiot was a hacker,” Tamara explains, “He hacked into CIA computers, but they couldn’t prove anything. But then when he stabbed me, it gave them enough to put him away for good.”

   Tamara notices Julianna glance at her left side.

   “It’s not that bad,” Tamara lies about the scar beneath Julianna’s little dress.

   Julianna looks up with sad eyes.

   “As I understand it, you have people called Network that protect your secret.”

   Julianna nods.

   “I didn’t know it then, but whenever Caroline started explaining everything, I put it all together.”

   Tamara continues, “The hospital I was sent to is Network, but it’s not all Network. Or at least, that’s how Caroline’s mom explained it. Someone outside of Network realized that I was related to David Snow in one form or another. Two stabbing victims within the same timeframe I suppose. David was sent to a public hospital, so the police was immediately notified.”

   “Someone at the hospital you were at contacted the CIA?”

   “No. They contacted the local police. But then the police contacted them. David Snow was on a watch list. But by the time local police got to the hospital where he was at, he had escaped. That’s when CIA took over and lied about my surgery.”

   “But we have Network surgeons there.”

   “I guess they weren’t the ones working on me, because I woke up somewhere else. After that, I didn’t really have a choice. The CIA is kinda persuasive when they want something. They wouldn’t let me have my phone or make any calls.”

   “I just don’t understand how my guys couldn’t know
anything
. We have people everywhere – including CIA. It doesn’t make sense.”

   “It
does
make sense if David Snow is still on the loose. Contacting me would place you into danger if he intended on finishing the job. Caroline’s mom said Network can do whatever they see fit if they believe your life is in danger. But you do know he hung himself after they caught him, don’t you?”

   Julianna looks away, “Yeah, I heard something about that.”

   “By the time he offed himself,” Tamara continues, “The school year was almost over and my parents begged me to finish out the year at my own high school. Until then, it was all home school. I don’t see how anyone can do it. I almost went insane.”

   “It was really hard to say no. My parents were the only ones allowed to know anything from the beginning. They went through the whole ordeal with me. And then when I told them I was a lesbian, I sorta sealed the deal about graduating with Becca, Jenny, and Caroline. I just couldn’t take off and leave like that.”

   Julianna looks at Tamara, “You told your parents?”

   Tamara smiles, “Yes, I told them.”

   “But why didn’t any of you call me when he hung himself? I thought you were dead, Tamara. Do you know how badly that hurt me? I felt like I was going to die and none of you bothered to even text me. I know Network wouldn’t stop you once they thought I was safe.”