The Sacrifice (The Alexandra Denton Chronicles Book 4) (11 page)

              My father’s sacrifice was listed as a suicide but I understood fully that it wasn’t.  There was too much that didn’t make sense.  It hurt when I realized Satan used someone to take his life.  I’m just not sure who…though there were rumors.  Unfortunately, no one cares about the identity of that person but me. 

I suppose the hardest thing to face was that my father’s memory was marred and it hurt me more than anyone would ever know.  People would only see him as a drug addict and alcoholic who took his life not the person he truly was. 

              Still, there were his other children to think of.  The promise I made was constantly in my head and I was determined to keep it.  A few days after I had begun to date Daniel again I watched Ariel play in my yard.  I smiled at her as I walked closer.  She was barefoot, wearing frayed shorts and a t-shirt.  I noticed that she was laughing as she spun around. 

              “See me, Daddy,” she laughed and I stopped as all of the breath in my body left me.  Tears burned my eyes. 

              “What did you say?” I asked, blinking as I realized what gift Ariel had received from my father. 

              She turned to me and then, glanced to the right before she frowned, “Can I really tell her?” She asked staring into that space. 

              I waited, as I held my breath.   She giggled and then, turned back to me with a wide smile, “I can see Daddy,” she said and then, giggled again, “I can see a lot of people other people can’t see.”

              I inhaled sharply as I pulled her close to me and sobbed.  She moved back from me and frowned, “What’s wrong, Alex?” She asked as she scrunched her face concerned, “I thought you’d be happy.”

              I forced a smile through the tears, “I am happy,” I said, breathing in slowly as I tried to stop the flow, “I’m just sad too because I can’t see him.”

              Ariel smiled at me, “He says he loves you,” she said and then, frowned as she listened to him, “And not to worry.”

              “I love you too, Daddy,” I whispered as my heart shattered into a million pieces all over again, “I just wish I knew what happened.”

              Ariel was silent for a moment as she tilted her head.  She turned back to me and smiled again, “You’ll find out one day when you’re supposed to until then, you’re supposed to keep the promise you made to him.”

              I nodded, “I will.”

              A wind whipped around me in that moment and for a second I could smell the scent of his cologne.  I inhaled sharply as peace settled into my soul and I took in part of his.

              Ariel smiled at me, “Don’t worry,” She said, grinning, “He’ll be back.  He always comes back.”

              I smiled as I caressed her cheek and stared into her eyes and whispered in a voice broken with all of my sadness, “I know.”

              Slowly, I stood and held out my hand which she took, holding it softly in her own.  She stared up at me with her eyes bright, “But we have to keep this a secret from other people unless Daddy says it’s okay to tell them,” She said, raising her brows obviously worried. 

              I nodded before leaning toward her, “It’s our little secret,” I whispered and she giggled again. 

              I gazed up at the sky as I took a deep breath, finally experiencing the peace I had not felt since my father had passed.

The Appointed

Alexandra Denton- foresight and the ability to show her memories

Daniel Wallace- The ability of teleportation

Ky Anderson- The ability of retrocognition

Kelly Matten- The ability to heal

Jonathon Matten- The ability of hydrokenesis

Jeremy Matten- The ability of pyrokenesis

Gloria Taylor- The ability of psychometry

Lynne Taylor- The ability of Levitation and Flight

Drake Taylor- The ability of Super hearing

Sarah Niles- The ability of shape-shifting and Animal Telepathy

Will Henson- The ability of time control.

Clyde Ramirez- The ability of super strength

Jenna Warren- The ability to see auras

Raina Simon- The ability of telekinesis

Jace Fairview- The ability of telepathy

Catherine Rollins- The ability of sense manipulation

Leighton West- The ability of dream manipulation

Bastian Boothe- The ability of enhanced intelligence

Ryan Denton- The abilities of dowsing, to create a strong wind and to see ghosts.

I wanted to do my acknowledgments a bit different than I did before because this is the last book in this series and I want to truly acknowledge the people who have helped me a great deal during the series and with each book.  Yes, there are a lot of people who help me in different ways but I want to give a special acknowledgment to each person who helped me begin, continue and complete this series.  First, I would like to say this series would not have happened if it wasn’t for my brother, Joshua Cole Edward Matthews (He is also the inspiration for Jonathon Matten).  He made me promise to finish it.  When he died, I couldn’t get the promise out of my head.  So, even though he has passed on, I wanted to thank him. So, thank you, Josh.  I love you and miss you so much!  I hope you are proud.  I did it!!  I finished them!!  I kept my promise!!  I also want to thank my husband, David who has supported me.  He told me he had faith in me when I asked him if he thought I could really do it.  He is the inspiration for three characters within the book who share different parts of his personality…Daniel, Ky and Semarias.  Thank you so much for standing by me.  I would also like to thank my oldest daughter, Constance Desiree Dudley for being so supportive and becoming my very first model.  Thank you for lending me your eyes for the original covers of The Alexandra Denton Chronicles and also for playing Alex in the trailer.  You are beautiful and I love you so much!!      I would also like to thank my youngest daughter, Isabella Kaylee Penn for always asking if I’m done with my book and pushing me to finish.  Thank you for becoming my first child model and becoming the face of Ariel Denton in the trailer.  Thank you for always being there for me and loving me.  You are always gorgeous, Baby Girl.  I love you so much!   I would also like to thank my handsome son, Joshua Lee James Penn.  You have always made me look at the small things.  You’ve made me grateful for them too.  You are so precious to me.  I love you, Joshie.  I would also like to thank my friend and model, Mendy Nicholas.  You read my book first.  You let me know that I was doing well.  You were even my first editor.  You also gave Gloria a face and a very beautiful one at that.  I love you so much!  Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.  I would also like to thank my mom, Melinda “Kaye” Hirjak.  You made me play outside.  You gave me an imagination.  You also gave me books and told me to read.  You are the one who gave me my first taste of literature.  You raised me with the ability to be a writer and then, you encouraged me to follow my dreams.  I would also like to thank my step-father, Paul Hirjak.  You chose to love me and my siblings.  You didn’t have to.  You have no idea how important you are.  I love you!!  I would also like to thank my sister, Kara Wallace who is also my inspiration for Kelly Matten.  I know that the book is dedicated to her but it wouldn’t have been written if she hadn’t come to my rescue.  Thank you for always being there for me and not expecting anything in return.  You aren’t just my sister.  You’re one of my best friends.  I love you!  I would also like to thank my sister, Sandra Morris who is my photographer, friend, inspiration for Sarah Niles and model for Micah Anderson.  You wear many hats in my world.  You are beautiful inside and out and you will never understand how blessed I am to have you in my life. I love you!  I would like to thank someone else who wears many hats in my life.  I would like to thank my brother-in-law, friend, photographer and model, Robbie Pressley.  He is the face of Drake Taylor in my trailers.  He has photographed for me just like Sandra at a moment’s notice.  He’s there for me which is precious.  Thank you, Robbie.  I love you!!  I would also like to thank my brother, James Alan Matthews who was my inspiration for Jeremy Matten.  You were my first friend in this world.  You helped develop my imagination.  Because of you, old pools became sleds and leaves could become houses.  You gave me laughter and you still do.  You have always been so supportive.  I love you so much!    I would also like to thank my sister-in-law and my friend since grade school, Roxanna Matthews who is my inspiration for Raina Simon.  Thank you for reading my books and showing people my books and poems.  It gets back around to me.  Thank you for being supportive.  I love you bunches!!  I would also like to thank my sister-in-law and friend, Cory Matthews who is my inspiration for Cleo.  You’ve been amazing and supportive.  Thank you for everything.  I love you!    I would like thank my sister, Amber Dudley who was my inspiration for Ariel.  At least her younger self was.  Thank you for listening to The Hidden so much that you probably memorized it.  Thank you for sharing my links and threatening my safety if I doubted myself.  I love you!  I would also like to thank Rosa Dudley and Michael Dudley for being my brother and sister and inspiring me to make Matt and Annaleigh to represent your younger selves.  I would also like to thank my sister of the soul, Hopi Craig and also my very good friend and brother-in-law, Alvin Craig.  Thank you both for sharing my links and being there for me at a moment’s notice with anything I need.  You have no idea how much I love you both.  I would also like to thank a woman who is like another mother to me, Tammy Laliberte.  Thank you so much for sharing my links and encouraging me.  You always support me.  Thank you so much.  I would also like to thank my friend, model and someone who has always been like a little brother, Cory Laliberte.  Thank you so much for giving a face to Bastian Boothe.  Thank you for doing so at a moment’s notice.  I appreciate it so much.  Thank you!  I would also like to thank all of the members of the band World Famous Johnsons.  You all rock so hard and I love you so much.  Thank you for allowing me to use your awesome music on my trailers.  I would also like to thank my niece and face of Sarah Niles, Tami Flerl.  You have always been there to do whatever character I need for you to do.  You have always been interested in my books and you tell people about them.  Thank you for all that you do.  You are gorgeous and I love you so very much!!!  I would also like to thank the awesome, Trenton Hines for becoming my model and giving a face to Daniel Wallace.  I would also like to thank my brother of the soul, Robert Leighton Sanders.  Thank you for the years and years you’ve sat and listened to my stories and poems.  Thank you for being the inspiration for Leighton.  He matches you well.  Thank you for being there for me during one of my darkest times.  You’re awesome and I love you bunches.  I would also like to thank my friends Cindy Rose Fryman and Jeremy Jason Fryman my inspirations for Catherin Rollins and Jace Fairview and I would also like to thank Valerie and Stephen Rose.  Your whole family has been there for me and welcomed me during a time when I felt small and insignificant.  You have no idea how much you made me better.  I am blessed with you in my life.  I love each of you so much.  Thank you for welcoming me and loving me.  I would also like to thank Lexie Milner who has been like one of my own children to me.  Thank you for listening to some of The Hidden and becoming the model for Lynne Taylor.  You are always beautiful and always loved.  I would also like to thank Anna Marquez for being the model
for Kelly Matten.  You gave her a face that matched her character almost exactly.  I love you, Sweetie.  I would also like to thank Anthony Dzubiak for being such a perfect fit for the face of Jonathon Matten.  You realized how much that character meant to me and my sister and strived for the best.  Thank you!  I would also like to thank my model and friend, Michael Marquez.  Thank you so much for being the face of Jeremy Matten.  You have no idea how special it was to have you model for me or how special you are to me.  I would also like to thank my cousin and model, Jesse Bryant for giving Will Henson his face.  You are so awesome.  I would also like to thank the inspiration for Will Henson, my brother-in-law and friend, Robert Harry.  Thank you for supporting me.  I would also like to thank Anthony Crist for becoming my face for Clydre Ramirez and for helping to spread word about my book.  I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.  I would also like to thank my inspiration for Clyde, Bob Ramirez.  Thank you for being such and good friend.  Thank you for being enthusiastic about the story.  You’re awesome and we love you.  Also, I would like to thank Nikita.  You are such a good friend.  Thank you for being understanding and kind to me.  You’re a rare gem.  I would also like to thank my model and god-daughter, McKenzie Zandi.  Thank you for being so sweet to me and also for giving a face to Jenna Warren.  Always know that you are beautiful.  I would also like to thank the inspiration for Jenna, Jennifer Willis.  You are such a beautiful soul.  You are full of life and love.  I love you!  I would also like to thank my beautiful and sweet model, Mykaela Pressley.  Thank you for playing Raina and thank you for always being interested in any project I ask you to partake in.  You’re wonderful.  I would also like to thank my model Charlie Powell.  You stepped up and portrayed Jace wonderfully.  Thank you so much!  I would also like to thank my model and someone who is also like my child, Alexis McGregor.  Thank you for portraying Catherine and always being willing to model.  You are always beautiful! I love you!  Also, I would like to thank my model Mikey Pressley.  Thank you for portraying Leighton. You are so awesome.  I would also like to thank my friend and sister of the soul, Chrystal Ambrose.  Thank you so much for caring about me and supporting me.  I love you so much.  I would also like to thank my friend and sister of the soul, Connie Sanchez.  Through ups and downs and everything, I love you.  Thank you for loving me back.  I would also like to thank my aunts Connie Sekulich, Becky Dudley and Vickie Edwards for being supportive and genuinely excited for me and encouraging me.  I would also like to thank my Aunt Amy for sharing my books and loving them and me.  I would also like to thank my cousins, Brian Russell and Rebecca Grieshaber for reading my books and letting me know how much you enjoyed them.  I would also like to thank my cousin and best friend, Buffy.  You’re more like a sister to me than a cousin.  Thank you for being there.  I love you so much.  I would also like to thank my cousin, Valerie Russell for caring about me and supporting me.  I would like to thank my cousin Bryan Dudley for checking on me.  Sometimes that means more than you think.  I love you.  I would also like to thank my cousin Michelle Dudley for listening to me and caring about me.  I love you.  I would also like to thank my cousin Lisa Anderson for finding models for me and being supportive.  I would like to thank my aunt Nancy Metcalf, thank you for helping me and being there for me.  I would also like to thank my cousin, Traci Weddington Coble.  You’ve always supported me and loved me.  Last but not least, thank you to all of my future models for this series.  You have no idea how wonderful it is to see your characters come to life.  To everyone else who has helped me…Thank you!  As you can see, a lot of people help.  I appreciate it.