A Kingdom As Great II (5,6)
  **See disclaimer on part 2**
 

      "Maybe I should start driving."  He commented to himself out loud.  He
pictured himself behind the wheel, jerking it toward a bridge.  He shook the
image away in his mind.  He was better than these thoughts.  He headed for
home.  Alone.

END OF 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Emily woke from a deep dreamless sleep later that afternoon.  When she
opened her eyes, she saw her mother sitting on the edge of the bed with her
father pacing behind her.
      "Mom, Dad, what's wrong?  Don't worry about me, I'm feeling better now."
Her voice did sound normal now, and her cheeks were a light pink.
      "I'm glad Emily, but that's not why we are here."  She paused for a second
to consider her words.  "It's time that I tell you everything."
      Emily sat up as she got a funny feeling.  "What is it?"
      "I told you that you were special and had certain gifts, but I never
explained exactly how you got them."
      "I thought it was just a random thing?"  Emily asked.  Jonny walked up
behind his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder.
      "Normally that's how it does work, at least that's how I got the gift.  In
your case, however, it's a little different."  Emily started to panic when
she watched her parents.
      "Please don't tell me Dad's not my real father."  Both shook their heads
quickly and Jonny sat on the edge of Emily's bed to hug her.
      "I'm your father Emily."  She sighed with relief.
      "Then what's wrong?"
      "You see,"  Jessie began. "When I was in highschool, I met a guy named
Binx.  He was a Full Blood.  Not only a Full Blood, but he was a royal Full
Blood.  He died that night while trying to protect me.  Before he died he
transferred his power to your father and I so we could carry on the royal
blood."
      "You have powers too Dad?"  He nodded with a shrug.
      "A little."
      "I wanted you to know that you're flesh and bone to Jonny, but your powers
are Binx's.  You have abilities that are a lot stronger than mine.  I just
wanted to let you know and let you choose whether or not you're going to
develop these powers."
      "What am I suppose to do with them?"  Emily asked with panic in her voice.
      "I wish I knew.  Binx died before he could tell me."  Jessie rubbed her
burning eyes with the back on her left hand.  "I wish you could have known
him, but it's up to you to figure your destiny."
      "Why are you telling me this now?  Why not later or sooner?"
      "Because for some reason I've been afraid that you might not be able to
handle so much power and responsibility, but I've been sensing an evil.  A
dark cloud is coming, and I don't know how else to keep it from coming than
to just warn you that it is."  The room fell into a silence, and Emily knew
then that her life would never be the same.

      Nancy pushed her curly blonde hair from her face as she leaned over the
counter in Max's Video.  The place was about to close and she was finishing
up with the last of the paper work when the phone rang.
      "Hello."
      "Is Nancy Wright there?"  She made a confused look when the other person
asked for her, but didn't have a familiar voice.  She could only tell it was
a female.
      "This is she."
      "Ms. Wright, you called and asked us to inform you when the flight for
Nukolls Nebraska, for David Thomas."
      "Yes that was me."
      "Are you a family member?"
      "No, I'm just a friend.  My friend Emily is his girlfriend, and she was
concerned about him that day.  He did make it all right."
      "Yes, he made it there, but he didn't make it back."  A chill ran down
Nancy's arm, and she sat down on the stool behind her.
      "What do you mean?"  Nancy asked as her world began to become fuzzy around
her.
      "David was on an early flight back home this morning.  The flight went down
in the lake here.  There were no survivors."  The woman on the other line
paused.  "I'm so sorry Ms. Wright."
      Nancy sat for a moment trying to make sure she wasn't just dreaming.  The
room was still a little too cold.  The sun's rays from the window left a
warm patch on her arm.  Yet the world still didn't feel right.
      "Ms. Wright, I'm sorry to have to been the one to tell you.  We are trying
to get a hold of all the victim's family and you were the only person we
knew to call for Mr. Thomas.  His phone number listed here doesn't work."
      Nancy sat dumbfounded for a moment.  "I will inform everyone.  Thank you
for calling me."
      "Send my regards to his parents and girlfriend.  They will be receiving a
letter with all the details soon."
      "Thank you."  Nancy hung up the phone and stared at it for a long time
before moving.  She wanted to cry, but she felt she had to let Emily know
first.  She quickly decided to not do it over the phone and to go to her
house immediately.  After finishing her closing duties, she grabbed her
stuff and ran to her car, hearing the low rumble of a coming storm.  It was
going to take a little while to drive all the way to Emily's house, and she
hoped to beat the rain.

      Emily picked up the phone to call Nancy at work, but no one answered.  She
realized how late it was getting and decided to go to Nancy's place instead.
  As she went out the door she called to her parents.  "I'm feeling a little
better. I'm going to Nancy's."
      "All right, bye."  Her mom called out as Emily went out the door.
      Emily headed East toward town and picked up the phone to call Nancy's
house, but the number didn't work.  "Her mom must had forgotten to pay the
bill again."  She smiled to herself.  As she was about to go down the main
street for town she saw the dark road that winded up the hill toward
Zachary's place.  She slowed down as she got to the fork in the road.
      "I want to talk to Zachary, but I don't want him to know."  She sighed and
looked up at the full moon that heavy clouds danced across.  With a shrug
she turned toward Zachary's.  She just wanted to see his face and hear his
voice.
      She pulled up next to his car and killed the engine.  With a deep breath
she opened the door and stepped into the dark.  She didn't know why she was
there after dusk and a twinge of fear tickled her insides.  Almost as if he
was on cue, Zachary opened the door and walked into the night.
      "Emily?  Is something wrong?"  He seemed very worried as he briskly came to
her side.
      "I'm fine."  She said with a mild tone.
      "Are you sure?  You look so pale."  He grabbed her limp hands, and a shiver
shot down her spine.
      "Yeah I'm sure.  I just wanted to talk to someone, and I couldn't get a
hold of Nancy.  Am I being a pest?"  He quickly shook his head.
      "No way.  You could never bother me.  Besides, I'm a little flattered that
you came to see me."  She turned to hide her smile.
      "Well don't let it go to your head."  After a moment of silence, Zachary
pulled on her hand that he still held and led her inside.
      "Follow me."  She didn't argue or question him.  She never felt threatened
by him, and she wasn't going to doubt his intensions.  He let go of her hand
long enough to grab a pillow, blanket, and a small flashlight.  They walked
out the back door and across the dark backyard.  He dropped her hand once
again when they approached the large water fountain with the tree and angels
flying up to its leafy branches.  She watched the large crystal water drops
dance down the concrete oak tree.  Zachary finished laying out the blanket
and pillows then turned to Emily who stared at the fountain.
      "I could spend the entire day looking at that fountain."  He said as he
walked up behind her.
      "I feel like I have."  She said as she rubbed her eyes.  He softly nugged
her toward the bedding and motioned for her to have a seat.  She did as he
instructed.
      "I used to come out here all the time to watch the stars.  It was so
relaxing to lay on my back, listening to the running water from the
fountain."  He sat next to her and laid back and folded his hands under his
head.  Emily sat there for a moment before laying beside him on her own
pillow with her hands on her stomach.
      "I hope it doesn't rain on us out here."
      "Me too."
      They both laid in the cool summer night watching the heavy and low clouds
scatter across the stars, each lost in their own thoughts.  It was a long
silence before she broke in.        "I needed this.  How did you know that I
needed this so much?"  She couldn't see the smile that was painted across
his face.
      "I figured whatever was wrong had to be pretty damn bad."
      "And what makes you think that?"  She asked.
      "Because I know you're afraid of this place.  You would have never braved
coming here at night unless you REALLY wanted to see me.  So what's wrong?"
She almost had to laugh at how well he understood her.  It was kind of
refreshing to have someone care enough to know her little details.  She
figured that was why she came there.  He waited in a long silence as she
asked herself if she should tell him.  How well did she know him?  They had
known each other for less than a week, yet she was willing to let him in on
everything.  If she did truely have a gift, she figured she would have had a
feeling of warning.  Surely she could trust her gut instinct and go for it.
With a deep breath and a quivering voice, she spoke.
      "Do you believe that someone could have powers?  Sort of like in
Firestarter but without it being an experiment."  She didn't know what his
response was going to be, and she waited patiently for it.
      "Emily there is something I need to tell you."  He rolled over on his side
so he could look her in the eye.  She turned her head to look at him.
      "What is it?"  His eyes trailed down to her hand that he grabbed and pulled
to his chest.  She watched the wind throw his brown hair around his large
green eyes that seemed to hold the weight of the world in them.  She
curiously waited for him to choose his words.
      "Please don't hate me."  He started.  She felt her chest tighten.  "I know
about your powers.  I know about how you know things before they happen.  I
know you can sometimes read other's thoughts or move things with your will.
I know you're a Full Blood, and I know this because I'm also one."
      Emily didn't move, but her eyes widened with fear.  Zachary tightened his
grip on her hand and shifted closer.  "Please don't be afraid of me Emily.
I couldn't bare to have you look at me any other way than the way you looked
at me when we first met."
      "I don't know how to feel."  She turned her head away from him, sending a
stabbing pain in his chest.
      "Tell me what you're thinking."
      "Well,"  She started without turning back to him.  "I'm thinking you've
lied to me.  You've kept this from me all along.  Then I'm thinking I did
the same thing, and how I understand why you did it.  I'm also thinking that
I've never been so confused in my entire life."  Her voice was cracking, and
he knew what was also going through her mind.  Her world was never going to
be the same again, and she needed answers to questions she had been asking
her whole life.
      "As a Full Blood, you're sort of like a tree because you grow to full
maturity and then you can stop aging at anytime you want.  And also like a
tree, you will last a long time, but you can still be killed."    He paused
only long enough to let his words sink in with her.  "You have to understand
that the only way your powers can develope to their peek is that you embrace
it, not fear it."  With another sqeeze of her hand he added.  "I'm here for
you Emily."
      She turned back around and looked up into his eyes.  She could tell that he
was hurting, and it struck a cord in her she never knew was there.  She felt
a burning and aching in her chest, and she knew she wasn't going to be able
to fight or deny the feelings she had been having from the moment she saw
him in the video store.  She was battling a senseless war that she never had
a chance to win, and she felt defeat hurling toward her.
      "Please Emily.  Forgive me."  His voice was a whisper that tickled her
insides, and the war was over.  When he leand forward, she pulled him down
into a kiss.  Her senses went numb, but she was well aware of his breath all
around her.  She pushed herself up against him, hungrily wanting him to hold
her.  As if following orders, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and
rubbed his hand down her back.  Her heart was pounding so fast she felt
almost faint.  She could barely believe he was in her arms.  She pulled away
to look him in the face.
      "I'm sorry."  She said.  He brushed a long red strand of hair away from her
cheek as he stared down at her.
      "I've always wanted you to kiss me the way you just did, want me the way
I've wanted you."  She closed her eyes and laid her face into his chest.
She breathed in the scent of him as he stroked her hair.  It wasn't until
then that she thought of David.  She jerked back, startling Zachary in the
process.
      "David."  She said.
      "I know you two are dating and..."  He got cut off when she stood up.
      "No, I saw David the other day.  I saw him screaming my name.  What if
something has happened to him?"
      "Have you talked to him recently?"
      "The other night.  He was talking about how much he missed me and wanted to
come back."  She paced frantically around the fountain.  "I feel like such a
jerk.  I'm really worried.  I don't want anything to happen to him."
Zachary nodded.
      "I understand."  She turned to him and walked over to him and grabbed his
hands into hers.
      "Zach, I don't know what happened, but I think..."
      "Emily!"  Nancy's voice cut in as she ran over to them.  She didn't even
seem aware that they were holding hands.
      "Nancy, what's wrong?"  Emily turned to her as she approached, gasping for
breath.
      "Emily I need to talk to you."  She put her hand on Emily's shoulder.  Come
inside and sit down.
      "Why what is it?  You're starting to scare me."
      "Just come inside."
      "No, just tell me what's going on."  Nancy caught her breath and glanced up
at Zachary who looked at her with confusion as well.  Seeing both of them so
unaware and happy, made Nancy almost choke up with tears.
      "I'm sorry Emily."  She was on the verge of breaking down.  "It's David.
You were right.  He was coming home early this morning, and his plane went
down in water.  There were no survivors."
      Emily gasped and took a step back from her friends.  Zachary turned from
Emily to Nancy not sure what to do.  He never saw it coming.  He had been so
caught up in trying to seduce Emily for himself, he never saw it coming.
Him and Nancy soon realized that they weren't the only ones caught off
guard.  Emily turned and started to walk away.
      "Emily I'm so sorry."  Nancy walked over and hugged her friend.  "I
couldn't find you, and I got worried that something had happend to you too."
  She sqeezed her tight.  "It's going to be alright."  Zachary saw Emily
close her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek, but then she pulled from
Nancy's embrace.
      "I just need to be alone."  Almost as if she was in a trance, she walked
for the front of the house.
      "Emily you can talk to us."  Zachary told her as they followed her to her
car.
      "Yes Emily.  You don't need to drive when you're so upset."  Nancy
approached the car just seconds after Emily, and she laid a hand on the
hood.
      "I'm alright."  Emily lied.  "I just want to drive and get some things off
my mind.  I'll be back soon."  She got into the car and sped away.
      Nancy turned to Zachary.  "I'm worried about her.  I don't think she should
be left alone."
      Zachary nodded.  "But she has to come to terms with it.  How she goes about
it is her decision.  I'll just help keep an eye on her."
      "How?"  She asked.
      "I have my ways."
      "Well I can't just sit around."  He nodded, understanding how she felt.
Then she got into her truck and drove away, leaving Zach with much to
consider.

END OF 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~