“The designer who works for Golden Web Threads? Yes. His ideas and designs are fresh and he could develop into a draw-card for us if you can get him to join us.”
Alki grinned. “I’ll do my best.”
Pambo chuckled. “I look forward to working with him.”
“Can I have some time to think about it?
As soon as he could speak to Cherine alone, he asked her, “Would you like to stay here?”
“Robert, why aren’t the people in England like this? I can’t believe how they accepted me so quickly without asking a hundred questions.”
He chuckled. “Believe me, the questions will come - but they’ll ask me, not you. They would never put pressure on you because you have the grief of the death of mum to live with and because you are so young. Me they will grill. As for them being nice, let me tell you about my first year at school and a big-hearted Greek family who accepted me almost as a brother of their son and taught me about family love.” He talked for a couple of hours and he managed to help her see what a miracle they had been for that little unloved boy. She asked questions, leading him into talking about the years before his mother left and then of how his father had treated him. Without realising it, her heart opened and warmed to him even further as she sensed his pain, but remarkably could not sense one iota of hate being emoted.
Cherine was self-aware and saw how much the weeks in London and the fortnight in Greece had altered her, opening her once more to a way of life she’d lost when her father stopped loving her. She could not entirely believe in it and found cynical thoughts to fight the changes, but she also accepted that she has been changed. For the first time she began to wonder whether it could be possible for her to stay in Greece as ‘daughter’ of Elias and Claire after Robert dies. Perhaps Nicko would also stay and in a couple of years they could marry. She decided to tackle her biggest problem head on. She trusted only Robert would not ask too many penetrating questions because her ability to affect his thoughts was greater than with the others, so she went to him. “Robert, I did not fly here with you for a reason. If I tell you, will you help me?”
“Anything I can do for you, you must know by now, I will do.”
“I don’t have a passport - I don’t even have a birth certificate. You know what a shame it is for a Catholic to have a child out of wedlock. Mum did not want me to be, officially, declared a bastard and I was born in our home, not at hospital.”
Robert, as so many do out of empathy, apparently thought he understood how it was and accepted her reasons and promised to try and find a way to solve the problem. She warned him against going through official channels. Not understanding why it bothered her, he promised. “Laura sweetheart, I cannot promise I’ll succeed, but I will do my best. I’ll find a way if it exists.”
She gave him an admiring look and smiled, “Then I know you will succeed.” She made a show of relaxing. “Phew, I was so worried!” She could not believe he did not question, not even how she had travelled to Greece without a passport. She became convinced she was somehow dampening their ability to question whatever she told them with some power beyond the ones she knew she had and it made her feel even more powerful, almost omnipotent.
Robert confided in Nicko and he tried to think of a way to help. “Now that I think of it, a friend who was being threatened last year employed a detective and he solved the problem. I’ll have a confidential talk with him and see what he advises. Who knows, he might have the contacts to arrange the documents.”
Tasso Moutzouris listened to Nicko but kept his opinion to himself. Years of dealing with all kinds of people had given him an instinct and something was warning him that Nicko is being taken for a ride. He was tempted by the large sum being offered and he knew he’d arrange the documents. However, he felt it was his moral obligation to find out the truth, whether his client wants to know the truth or not. Nicko gave him a substantial deposit and left.
Tasso initiated the contacts for getting the documents in the name required, glancing again at the photos of the young girl as he handed them over. He was puzzled and upset, he hated the thought of anyone so young already taking the wrong path, but for someone to be fooling his client she would have to be a part of it. As soon as he had taken care of business, he used another contact, giving him a different set of instructions.
Robert had to fly back to work off his notice and he joined in with the others, insisting that she wait in Athens. Nicko could not abandon his social life as everyone would have wondered and talked - and that included his own parents. He saw to it that he spent time with her during the day and arranged that she came out with him during the evening at least twice a week. Cherine went to a casino with him and she wilted, losing her confidence when she saw how lovely the girls are and she felt gauche next to their evident sophistication. As the evening progressed, she sensed the girls and felt how empty and pointless their lives are and she recalled that she does not need to be like them, she can make anyone she fancies love her desperately. She would have used Nicko to bolster her ego, but she sensed it would be far better that she wait until after Robert dies.
Tasso was frustrated. The papers came through earlier than he’d expected while his contact who had a contact in Ireland had not given him any information yet and was not answering his phone. Nicko was calling him every second day so he decided to hand over the documents and if the information from Ireland justified it, he would arrange to meet Nicko again.
Elias and Claire wanted to take Cherine out to celebrate when they saw her joy at having a passport and birth certificate. Nicko wanted to take her dancing so that she could burn up some of that extraordinary energy she was radiating. He was surprised, and very pleased, when she insisted she’d rather spend the evening with him and his parents. Nicko knew that his parents have not only grown to love Laura because of her being the sister of Robert; they love her because she fills an emptiness in them. He wondered how they will react when he tells them he wants to marry her as soon as it is allowed. He knew it would be seen as scandalous by those of their social set, but he was certain his parents would stand by him.
Robert convinced his ex boss that he could do the art work and set up the sites from home without having to be at the office. He undertook to finish the sites he was working on to the satisfaction of their clients and would not stop just because his employment has terminated. The company had a good opinion of him and so they agreed and Robert returned to Athens two weeks earlier than expected.
Robert had thought that his restlessness and need to be in Athens had to do with the excitement of a new job, being with his ‘sister’ and those he thought of as his Greek family. He was excited about the new start to his life, but he did not realise that during the time he’d spent with Cherine, her gift and his love for her had softened the barriers and made him more open to her emoting. Without either of them realising it, they had gently linked to each other.
When Robert walked past the customs and out to the public area, Cherine threw herself into his arms. She babbled about her documents, even trying to show them to him, and carried away by her emotions she gave him a few kisses on his lips. She felt how deep was his happiness at being with her and the love he was emoting softened her. As they drove to Kefalari, everyone talking to Robert while he kept his arm around her waist, she wondered whether it could be possible for her to monitor his mind to prevent it opening to psychic gifts. If it were possible, she told herself, then she would not need to kill him and she could continue having him as her brother. She felt herself warmed by these thoughts and began to daydream of a happy future for the first time in her life.
Cherine went to bed happier than she remembered feeling for a long time. She slept without anything more than disjointed dreams, like mini clips of happy movies. They did not affect her strongly so she could not remember them afterwards. She woke up at half past three in the morning, covered by a sheen of sweat from her panic. Someone had tried to probe at her mind! Aware now, she waited. When it happened again, she realised it was Robert, his mind trying to maintain contact with hers even while he slept. She blocked herself and jumping to his London apartment she wept and cursed herself for a fool for daring to allow herself to dream. Now that she was aware of what is happening, she saw that she had known for some time, but had not wanted to let herself see the truth because she did not want to kill Robert. She curled up in misery and refused to think about anything, returning to her Athens bed after dawn in Greece.
After breakfast everyone left, Claire promising Robert that she would not leave Cherine’s side until he returns. Robert cupped her face lovingly. “I have to go, Alki set aside time for meeting me, but I’ll leave as soon as I can to spend the rest of the day with you. Okay?” She nodded miserably and he softly kissed her eyelids that were still wet from her tears.
As soon as they were gone, she told Claire she wanted to walk in the garden by herself for a few minutes. Claire did not insist on accompanying her, letting her go, but watching from an upstairs window. She would have had a heart attack if she could have shared the thoughts of that loveable sweet looking child. Cherine was deliberately re-living her memories of the way she used for killing the young man in the train. She saw that she had concentrated her ability to send her emoting until it felt like a needle of fire and hate in the mind of the person receiving. She was surprised when she realised that her thrust had not only affected his mind, that she’d actually ruptured a vein so that blood poured within the sac holding the brain. She sat on a bench, filled with despair. How could she summon hate as a weapon while Robert was emoting love for her?
Robert returned just in time to take Cherine to Kefalari for lunch. Unfortunately, because of her depression, he was trying to reach out to her without realising he was also doing so psychically, his love and worry only exacerbating the problem for Cherine. On their walk back home Cherine made her decision and it was as if her heart and gift of empathy turned to ice. She probed his mind, looking for weaknesses. Without warning she imagined her emoting forming a spear of ice and fire, burning and freezing its way into Robert's mind. With a scream he fell to the ground and convulsed as his brain sent scrambled messages to his body. She waited, staring down at him until she sensed his soul leave his body. Only then did she fall to her knees, crying out for help.
The ambulance medics tried to resuscitate Robert, but gave up before they reached KAT. They noted his time of death and after he was briefly re-examined by one of the doctors on duty, his body was sent down to the morgue.
Cherine had also been taken to the hospital as she had become hysterical, loudly blaming herself for his death. She was sedated and the police notified Elias. Within minutes he had tearfully called everyone and they were all converging on the hospital from different directions. Even once they’d arrived and the death of Robert had been confirmed, none of them could believe it. They rushed to be by Cherine’s side when she woke up.
Cherine was not in her bed and nobody could find her. It was as if she had turned into thin air!
To return to the moment of death. As Cherine sensed his soul depart and then his body functions taper off as his body cooled, she knew that his death was now irrevocable. Robert was dead and he no longer was a threat to her. As she let go her fear she suddenly saw that Robert had never been a threat, that his personality was nothing like that of her brother. As she screamed with despair, her mind shut off because she was sedated. She woke up in the hospital bed without memories of her startling discovery. For her mind to successfully hide the truth from her it re-awoke her rage against all Roberts and she fiercely searched for another Robert or a Cherine. She sensed a Robert and without caring that there were other patients in the ward, she teleported. It was only a matter of luck that she was not seen disappearing.
Coldly Cherine looked down at the sleeping Robert. He was so much younger than hers had been! She tried to sense to what degree his psychic powers had grown, but she felt nothing. She guessed he has not met his Cherine yet. Despite the fury that strained to lash out, she was still driven and constrained by certain morals and ethics. She could not kill him while he is not a threat. He had to become at least a potential threat. She returned to her reality, going to Robert's home in London. She prepared herself a snack, ate it and lying on the sofa fell asleep.
Any other awakened Cherine would have sensed that Cherine was no longer a full personality; it was as if parts of her had withdrawn, leaving what remained to make all decisions. It did so without the ability to think deeply before acting, more susceptible and obedient to fears and plans from years earlier.
A result of the fits that came from her attacks on his mind was that he began to have visions of another Robert and Cherine. When she found out, she decided to be in his reality so as to share from his mind as he sleeps. She did and departed filled with terror. He was dreaming of the Cherine belonging to the Robert who is overwhelmingly more powerful than her! She dared not go after that Robert for a long time, not until she has grown and opened more powers within her own mind. She spent hours moodily considering the fact that Robert is now dreaming of other realities. Could it be that any Robert, if his mind is touched by a Cherine, for any reason whatsoever, opens to psychic gifts?
If Cherine had been more mature and experienced, if she had not been operating with half of her hidden away because of grief and guilt, she might have realised that the more she interfered with Robert the stronger would his psychic gifts grow. She chose to monitor his dreams and rid him of their memories. Despite her successes, she was upset to find that he was sketching her eight year old face with the intention of creating an oil painting. The days and nights he painted, she stayed as close to his home as she could, sharing. When the painting was done, she waited for him to go out and teleported into his home. She stared at the painting, angered by what she saw in it, and then returned to her own reality. She swore to herself she will take the painting when she kills him.
The day she’d been waiting for arrived. She felt him when he met his Cherine. Always staying just out of sight, she monitored Robert. Something about Cherine bothered her, so she tried to spy on her. When Cherine saw her in a dream she immediately stopped watching her.
When Robert met Alessio and became friends with him and Cherine learnt that he was a criminal, she felt it only confirmed her belief that all Roberts are evil. She decided not to give him anymore time as he could soon be strong enough to harm his Cherine.
She attacked and was dismayed when she sensed his Cherine protecting him. She pulled back so that she is not sensed and tried to consider how she should deal with the situation. Over the months she always found the local Cherine instantly there to protect him, so she withdrew, waiting to catch them by surprise. Now that his dreams were not being blocked, Robert was amazed by all he saw of the other Teller family.
The day came when Cherine sensed they were both relaxed, so she sent a furious shaft of energy. Robert screamed but Cherine fought her and she knew that if she stayed any longer the other Cherine would sense her.
Cherine had sensed Robert being shot and, knowing he would now be even more vulnerable to her, when they returned from the country and she sensed them go outside to sit under the trees, she waited until Cherine was distracted and then attacked with all her power. Despite his Cherine fighting for him, his mind fell apart and the rage released, he attacked her. To save herself his Cherine had to attack him. As her Robert died, she sensed she was losing him and lost consciousness. Cherine cried out with grief and despair as she sensed the blow to the head and the other Cherine dying. Tormented by what she had inadvertently caused, she fled.
Cherine came to with a shock. She found herself among thousands of shouting people, she saw a football field below and with a crazed shock of fury she saw another Robert before her. His Cherine had her back to her, so if she acted quickly she could kill Robert and escape without being noticed by his Cherine. Alarmed she sensed Robert being attacked by others at the same time as she attacked him and yet his eyes focussed on her in disbelief and with a pain he could not bear. He collapsed, dead of an aneurysm before the other attackers had time to realise that continuing their attack would be a waste of time. Cherine realised that the local Cherine was under attack by three psychics and that she was not strong enough to resist them. Quickly she used her powers to follow their energy that was being sent into the local Cherine and using the same powers she’d used before, she destroyed all three, not succeeding in killing them but damaging their minds so that they can never take care of themselves, never mind attack others. As she was about to teleport, the other Cherine turned and saw her. She quickly jumped back to her London.
Once Arthur handed over to us again, we quickly argued the pros and cons and decided to get to the Cherine who is killing all the Roberts before she can kill any more. Why? What the hell do you mean with your ‘why’! Surely you do not consider it necessary to arrive in Freddie to overawe the locals? Why not send alternate Teller families with their Sparklers to save those who have been attacked while you deal with the saddest Cherine of all? Robert will have to let you girls handle her - if he was going to handle her I would not need to say it but…find a way for love to heal her Sam.
Most of us felt insulted by his above comment, but Dommi hugged Cherine with a flooding of joy. “He paid our Robert the best compliment ever!” Robbie blushed, but as we understood Dommi and also rejoiced, he decided he has to go for a coffee. We let him since we are in a hurry to return with all the new Roberts and Cherines.
We arrived outside the home Cher was in and soon as we sensed her, we realised that Arthur had spoken truly. Cherine demanded that she and Dommi enter as she does not want to provoke Cher into attacking, which she will do if a larger number of us entered her home. We’d all expected her to want this so we did not argue. The two of them walked to the main entrance, Cherine used her gifts and the door opened for her. As she walked up the stairs, she called out, “Cherine, you know who I am and I have Dominique with me, the sister of Nicko. We know of all that happened, but we are not angry and only want to help you, please stay.” Cher did not react, not even in her emoting. Dommi guessed and rushed to get to her quickly.
When we’d arrived, Cher had already been falling apart, the two last Roberts almost forgotten as she fixated once more on the death of her Robert. Ironically, after the last murder, as if they had relieved her mind of some kind of pressure, her mind had blocked out the immediacy of the murders and was thus able to re-knit and she was suddenly capable of thinking without her fears and instincts dominating her. The conviction overcame her that she had made a terrible mistake, that some fault of hers had made her project from herself the evil she thought was in him. Usually at such a time, the person suffering such thoughts expects and feels he or she deserves retribution of the worst kind. She sensed our arrival and because there were so many of us, the total power she sensed was awesome and it convinced her we’d come with the express purpose of making her pay in full for the evil she’d committed. For some reason our presence hastened her collapse - that was why Dommi rushed up the stairs.
The rest of us waited in the street, causing quite a sensation as people turned to look at us. Because we are at prime health and people on this planet are not used to seeing anyone glow with such wellbeing, they explained us by telling each other, or themselves, that we are Americans - which is ironic when you consider the fact that most American kids of this era are unhealthy and obese. We mostly ignored the crowds walking by as we monitored Dommi and Cherine as they fought to save Cher. Despite us waiting with baited breath, I did notice my loves taking turns to glance at me. When I saw Gina do the same I raised my eyebrow at her. She gave a guilty grin.
“Do you think Arthur did this to remind us he is our author?”
Irritated, I retorted, “Why don’t you ask him instead of blocking yourselves from me?”
Dommi and Cherine jumped to Freddie, taking Cher with them. Startled we glanced at each other and then broke up into smaller groups to look for places where people would not notice us disappearing.
Cherine returned to us that night, but Dommi stayed with Cher.
While we were concentrating on Cher, Robbie had returned to grab the soul of Robert and others went with to save his body. Their healers kept his heart slowly beating while the body was moved to the morgue. The moment nobody was looking, the body was teleported to Freddie. We then jumped realities.
The first to recover was Robert as it was easier healing his mind - going to the void as a soul had already accomplished most of the healing. As he opened his eyes he saw Robbie before him and it made him think he was hallucinating. Robbie greeted him.
He stared for a moment without answering. “You can now communicate with me? You can see me?”
“Yes.” Robbie refused to clarify the situation, knowing that Robert needed to feel he was not talking to real people.
“My Cherine killed me.”
“You knew that she was Cherine?”
“Of course! How could I see your Cherine clear enough for me to paint her portrait without knowing who she is? I don’t know why she chose to pretend she is my sister Laura, but I played along as I felt she needed my help - and I was enraptured. Robert, is my mother still alive, do I have a sister?”
“We haven’t checked, it was more urgent that we get to you before your body decays. Your Cherine has also attacked and killed another two Roberts and a Cherine died because of her. We had to save her also as her love for you and her guilt for the others is tearing her apart. She will need more time than you do, but we can go for a meal and a beer while the girls help her.” He grinned at the look on Robert's face. “Yes Robert, we are real, you are not dreaming of us. Take it easy, give yourself time to absorb all the bad things that happened to you and then we’ll talk about the good things. Don’t worry about Nicko and his parents, no time is passing for them.”
“We’ve gone to a different reality?”
“Ah, good! A Robert who is going to make me look smart!” Robert heard laughter and realised others were listening. Robbie helped him dress and brought him out to our sitting room. We surged around them, all eager to welcome him. For a short while he forgot all his problems and emoted his feelings of being in heaven. Maybe we should have named Freddie ‘Heaven’? I’m kidding of course, don’t take me seriously. I can just imagine what misunderstandings that would have caused.
Dommi needed to have Cher love and trust her. When Cher was able to understand who she is, she told her about bursting into tears when Elias talked to her about his dead daughter. They mostly talked, Dommi helping Cher return in memories to her early years. Most of the times that we do not understand why we did something, it is because we do not want to understand; understanding would hurt us too much. By sharing those thoughts and pains, Cher had to be more honest and she grew to hate herself before Dommi took her back again and helped her achieve a deeper understanding. She told her that she should never make excuses for all she did, that she must accept responsibility so that she can then look for ways to heal the past by undoing some of the evil she is responsible for. Cher stared at her with wonder, asking how she could do that. Dommi explained that if she asked Robbie, he would take her back in time and help her bring back everyone she killed, including her brother. Cher paled.
“I can’t, not him. Dominique, he really is evil and he has powers.”
Dommi knows when she must force the issue and when such a confrontation will only undo the good she has achieved. “I won’t argue it with you. Cherine, when I’m confident you are ready, the girls will do a telling for you. We’ll discuss your decision about Patrick at that time.”
Others might have procrastinated for weeks; not a Cherine. Cher took two days to take the decision to face the contempt in the eyes of her Robert. Before she was allowed to do so, our Cherine went to spend a few hours with her. She allowed her to share some of her early memories so that she rids herself forever of the tiniest fear of the powers and gifts that will blossom in her Robert as they grow closer. Cherine also pulled a dirty on Robert. She and Dommi changed Cher so that she became an eight year old.
It took some time for both of them to come back to earth, but when they did, Cher demanded that Robert learns from her directly all she has done and the reasons. He tried to argue it was not necessary, but Goldi sternly told him that it was. They went to sit outside in the garden.
The largest part of her healing happened when she saw and sensed that her Robert has not stopped loving her and that he understands her fears. We helped them open their minds to each other, but would not let them go to the void. We prefer it happens for the first time in their own reality. Dommi waited another week and then she told Meli that both Cher and Robert are ready for a telling. The girls took it slowly, piling in the kind of details these two would need for them to grow into the kind of alternates we can love and be proud of. Seven weeks later, two days after the tellings ended, Cher pleaded to return to her reality so that she can face Nicko, Elias, Claire and Alki. She said that telling them the truth, whether they forgive her or not, would complete her healing and cement the love between her and Robert. We pretended we did not sense how desperately she was hoping they would understand and forgive - as if we will allow them to do otherwise if they have any empathy.
Not only bad experiences are traumatic. Even some good ones have to be handled delicately. Elias and Claire, Nicko to a far lesser degree, were traumatised by the death of their Dominique. They have spent a lifetime with that pain, each finding their own way to make life worth living despite the pain. To give them back their three year old Dominique without first adjusting them to the idea could cause more pain. In a way, that Dominique of that period, would be a stranger to them. We talk about funerals being part of the closure we need when death claims a loved one. Bringing someone back to life needs the opposite of that closure for the family. The way we usually achieve that is by taking them back as Robbie collects the soul. He lets them hold the soul while his healer gets a cell and by the time the person appears in a new body, they’ve partly achieved that opposite of a closure.
It did mean that we would not be bringing back their baby daughter immediately. First they would have to adjust to Robert returning to life, then they have to have their hearts opened to Cherine so that they understand her deceits to the point where forgiveness is not necessary. Then, as they adjust to the miracle of what being a Cherinian is, they will be told that they will have their daughter back again.
Sometimes all we plan, as above, for example, goes wrong for what seems an insignificant reason. Rarely it goes just as planned and then all that was explained above in such a dry manner becomes a series of the most beautiful experiences. This was one of those times when it came very close to such a beautiful series of experiences.
The first person contacted was Nicko.
Nicko was in a bar, trying to stupefy himself with whiskeys. The sudden death of Robert and then the inexplicable disappearance of ‘Laura’ was just too much for him and he needed something to blur the blades cutting at his heart. Laura walked into the bar and sat at his table. He squeezed his glass of whiskey in both his hands as he stared at her. His eyes warmly glistened as he asked, “The death of Robert was too much for you, you needed to be alone?” Before she could answer him, he blurted out, “God Laura, I thought I’d lost you also!”
Tears ran down her cheeks as she felt how deeply he loved her. “I’m sorry Nicko, so sorry. Nicko, I need to talk to you somewhere on our own. Please?” He paid and holding her arm close to the elbow, he guided her to his car. He drove her past the last houses of Kefalari and stopped by open land, only a few pine trees close to them.
“Nicko, I am not who or what you think I am. In a sense, neither was Robert. Do you remember the painting of me that Robert had over his mantle? That was not me, it was a girl called Cherine who lives in a different reality. Do you know anything about alternate realities?”
“Robert explained them to me, I thought it was just a fantasy for his science fiction.”
In every reality we know about, my alternate falls in love with her Robert and their love opens his mind so that they both acquire many psychic gifts. Robert becomes a far more powerful psychic than I am and that knowledge terrified me. I came as Laura so as to kill Robert before he acquired any powers. Let me first explain to you why I felt that way before you judge me.” She went on to tell him the story of her life, the true story with all her fears and mistakes. She sensed he could not understand her need to kill a four year old child, but she did not linger over it in an effort to make him understand. She had been told by Dommi that she should leave it for the end; once he knows all the story and meets us, he will grow to understand whatever he will refuse to understand in the beginning. After all, how could she expect him to understand when, for him, people with psychic powers and alternates are all stories of the wildest imagination only.
We had warned her that Nicko could grow angry with her - not because of what she will confess to having done, but because of his fear once he starts to believe her about her psychic powers. This Nicko turned us into liars! Perhaps it happened because he was in love with her and therefore could see no evil in her having powers or else it happened because he is an alternate with different experiences and different ways of thinking. Proving us liars made us very happy and opened our hearts to this Nicko. Once he meets us, I think he is going to be surprised by how much he is loved.
“Why have you told me your story? Robert is dead, that cannot be changed.”
“It can Nicko. Not by me, but by his alternate. Sorry, the Robert I am speaking of, he is the prime Robert and has far greater powers than any other Robert and Cherine. He knows how to return in time to bring back those who have died. Nicko, he has already brought back Robert and I have told him all the same truths I told you. It is like a miracle to me Nicko, he does not hate me, he is not even angry and I can feel that he does love me!”
“Roberto is alive?” For a moment he worried about her sanity.
“He is alive, he told me that he knew from the first day we met that I am not his sister, that I’m Cherine. He knew the truth about many of my lies but he kept quiet. Can you believe it!?”
He felt like answering that he did not, that he did not believe anything she’d told him. He couldn’t, he could not add to her pain. He desperately hoped he would not be encouraging her slide into a fantasy world. “Will I be seeing him?”
“He’s waiting for you to be ready for him. Would you like him to come now? He will teleport here.” With dry mouth, not knowing what to believe anymore, he nodded. He nearly screamed when Robert appeared about twenty metres away from him.
“Gia sou Nicko.” Robert smiled. “I’m sorry we had to put you and your parents through so much pain so that the two of us can find a way to face the truth about ourselves.”
It took a while for Nicko's pulse to return to normal and for him to understand that what he was being told would dramatically alter his life also. Cherine helped him feel the love of Robert for him and it touched his heart - even though he was in pain at the thought that Cherine will never love him.
“Nicko, even though you are starting to believe us, inside you, you are still very confused and a little bit afraid. Will you agree to spending a little bit of time with us and our alternates so that when you try to explain to your parents you are more convincing?” Robert gave a wide grin. “Do you remember all those crazy things I used to tell you at school about alien civilisations having to exist? Guess what, they really do and they are wonderful people…even if some of them do look odd. I was told about a species where each individual is larger than our entire solar system and less solid than our air. They are made out of energy and they are our friends!” As Robert forgot himself in his enthusiasm, Cherine saw that Nicko seemed to relax. She gave him a wink and interrupted Robert.
“Let’s go Robert, or else you’ll keep us here all day, telling us about your aliens.”
We were supposed to be keeping it low key, giving Nicko time to adjust to us and Freddie. Instead he arrived amidst a bunch of laughing girls. It had been agreed that Dommi would be present but that he would not be introduced to her immediately, only once he had adjusted. Maria was soon plying him with whiskey on the rocks as he tried to deal with shock after shock. His worst shock at first, was realising he was no longer on planet Earth. Later he was told that he was not even within his home reality and it was as if he’d lost his anchor for a short while.
Robert asked Robbie, “Shouldn’t we first go to those realities where my Cherine attacked and killed their Roberts? Surely the ethical claims they have on us outweigh the pleasure of seeing my reality started off with Cherinians?”
“What you are really saying is that you need your heart and Cherine’s lightened of the guilt you feel before you can concentrate on your own happiness.”
“If you wish to put it that way I won’t argue.”
“Look at it from our point of view Robert. We shoot off to deal with the next Robert and Cherine. A few months go by as we help them adjust to the new realities of their life, but before we help their world and start them off as Cherinians, we leave to go and help the Cherine and Robert who belong to Tippity. Once that is taken care of, we return to your reality, help you link your first Cherinians, bring back a loved one or two, deal with the most urgent of your pollution problems, introduce new technology while also dramatically affecting the economies of your planet. Once it has all stabilised we go to the second Robert with an Italian godfather, do the same for him and his Cherine and then to the third, the farmer Robert. How do you expect us to derive any satisfaction from handling everything in such a disjointed manner?”
Robert stared at him, lost for words, not knowing how to counter him, but also still convinced that Robbie was wrong. Naughty Cassie whispered to him, in his mind (but openly for us to hear her) that he should ask me to argue on his behalf.
Robbie laughed. “I doubt that Samantha could do that for you - even though she’d love to oblige you. Robert, she is aware that she is also writing for Arthur and it would mess up his book if we partition everything the way you want. You see, we’re not just being selfish for our own reasons. A higher duty calls and all that…” He grinned as he felt me struggle to find a counter argument. Before I could speak, Robbie burst out laughing. “Freddie, are we on our way?”
“I’ve assumed you don’t want me to put in an appearance so we are arriving in the void. Enjoy your evening, we’ll be there in the morning.”
Cher did not put in a physical appearance at the time of death, but she was in the mind of the dying Robert. The second his death occurred, she left because of the accidental death of Cherine. We felt her grief and despair just before she left the reality. Luckily she was too caught up in what she was doing and then the death of her alternate for her to sense us. Since Arthur wrote of the two of them being taken to hospital and their friends rushing there to be with them, we could not take them straight away. The souls were collected and healers waited within their bodies for Alessio to fight to keep them in beds. He lost the argument as the rules are not flexible on such procedures and the bodies were taken to the morgue. It was easy to distract them and the bodies disappeared.
I was going to name this Cherine the Mafioso Cherine but I got pelted with pillows by all so I’ll call her and Robert the Al-Cherine and Al-Robert to indicate I am writing of the reality of Alessio. Actually, I did get into a bit of a tizzy when I nearly wrote that the ‘first’ Cherine (written of in here as Cher)…then I realised that in the way Arthur presented them, she was the last Cherine. So, here we go: The Cherine who kills Robert is ‘Cher’; The mid-Cherine is Al-Cherine and the one with Tippity is the ‘Farm-Cherine’.
Just a moment please for me to work out again at which Cherine I was…Al-Cherine and Al-Robert not only found themselves suddenly transported to a strange environment, they also were confronted by a Cherine who was strongly emoting her need for their forgiveness. Most of her feelings of guilt and need for forgiveness were directed at Al-Cherine. Our Cherine had to ask Dommi to move her away so that we could give the newly resurrected couple time and the explanations they need for adjusting.
Paradoxically, their anger helped them adjust almost without them noticing. I guess it will hit them later. Al-Robert was only angry for a short time. When he heard her story he did not keep his heart closed in the way his Cherine did. On the other hand, she did not only have to forgive Cher for her own suffering, that she could have done easily. What was unforgivable to her was that a Cherine had hurt and killed her Robert. That he had suffered for years just because Cher wanted to keep him weak and vulnerable to her made Al-Cherine’s blood boil. The best way to force her to let go her anger was to demand that she open and share her own memories with her Robert. She paled and her Robert told her it is not necessary, that we do not have the right to make such a demand. It was what convinced her we are right, that they can never grow to be one for as long as she keeps secrets. She went for a walk so as to steel her nerves. Haven followed her without saying a word to us, so she was not declaring ‘privacy’.
“You cannot blame yourself for the death of your father. Before I continue I have a question to ask. Do you see your mother as being totally blameless, that she did not provoke you in any way?”
“Whatever she said, I did not have the right to kill her.”
“I did not offer to absolve you.” Her face cold and stern, Haven stared at her until she lowered her eyes. “Before we continue, let me make one thing absolutely clear. Nobody has the right to absolve you of the crimes you committed - not even the police, courts and judges have that right. Your Robert, he does not have that right.” She paused until Al-Cherine nodded her agreement. “Only your victims and you have that right.” Al-Cherine gave her a startled look. “Of course you have the right. If someone attacks me, intending to kill me, I have the right to kill them and I also have the right to absolve myself of any blame. Is there one death you can absolve yourself of?”
It was obvious by now that Haven had dominated and Al-Cherine was no longer questioning her right to speak to her in this way. “No, well, maybe. That man who tried to rape me…” She almost looked into Haven’s eyes. “No, I was wrong. I had the right to protect myself, but killing him was excessive.”
“He was a nasty piece of shit and he intended raping you, if you bring him back to life, then he will not deserve any further penance by you. The others you killed, your mother and adopted mother, would they deserve much more than their lives being returned to them?”
“You can bring them back to life?”
“No. I’m trying to deal with your problem on a theoretical basis so that you are clear in your mind to what extent your guilt lies with you and to what extent with them. Would you owe them anything more than their lives? Would you have to care for them, see that they are not alone and miserable because of them now being displaced in time?”
Cherine did not respond with a quick answer as she had before. She was surprised when Haven touched her arm and jumped. “There is a boat ride you’ll take later and this is where the trip ends. There is a tea-room here, let’s have tea and scones while you consider the question.”
Al-Robert was made to share with his Cherine and she knew it. It was part of what had angered her earlier on, but once she had to deal with Haven she seemed to forget him. Al-Robert also had stopped trying to block her off, watching her thought processes with a serious interest. He saw how she did not look for excuses and that she faced the truth without trying to decorate it with excuses. He watched as she resisted the temptations of guilt and refused to allot herself a bigger share of the blame than she truly owned. He was already feeling proud of her when she spoke to Haven.
“What I did was as a child so that has to mitigate the level of guilt I should assume. Both women owed me their love, because the one gave birth to me, choosing to have me, while the other chose to make me her daughter. They both used me so as to absolve themselves of their own guilt. Do I owe them more than the return of their lives? Yes, I do. I owe both of them my love. They both gave me love and did a lot for me, making sacrifices for my happiness. Just because they indulged a momentary weakness does not negate all I owe.”
“You have not answered the most difficult question. Cherine, if you bring them back to life, will you allow them the right to love you?”
She paled, but was careful to think it through. She nodded. “You are right, if I do not, then I will be to blame for their pain and it will make a lie of all I just said about both of them. I hadn’t thought of it that way, I’d only considered whether I should love them. I had not realised it would be so difficult to allow them the right to love me. Does it mean I am still angry with them?”
