Unaltered #2_A Diamond in my Heart Read online

  A Diamond in my Heart

  The Unaltered series-book two

  by Lorena Angell

  co-authored by Joshua Angell

  Copyright 2011 Lorena Angell

  Smashwords Edition

  License Notes

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Lorena Angell.

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  Warning: Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The names, characters, places and incidents are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  For more titles by Lorena Angell:

  http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lorenaangell

  http://lorenaangell.blogspot.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 - Freedom

  Chapter 2 - Nyctophobia

  Chapter 3 - “Not everything bad in this world is evil, and just because something’s good doesn’t make it right.”

  Chapter 4 - Brand New Power

  Chapter 5 - Do Over

  Chapter 6 - Deadly Shadows

  Chapter 7 - A Kiss for Good Luck

  Chapter 8 - Matchmaker Calli

  Chapter 9 - Freedom to Choose

  Chapter 10 - Project T19

  Chapter 11 - Missing Persons

  Chapter 12 - Revelations

  Chapter 13 - Relinquishment

  Chapter 14 - The Diamond Bearers

  Chapter 1 - Freedom

  I used to scoff at magical powers and abilities, used to have this amazing focused direction in life and didn’t allow my time to be wasted on frivolous conspiracy theories or speculations. I certainly didn’t believe in any existence of superpowers or unnatural abilities; that is, until I became the first person on earth to display all the known powers and abilities.

  A few months ago I learned first-hand that cosmic energy rays exist and have always existed, and that nearly everyone on the planet has been affected by them in one way or another.

  My mother, Dr. Charlotte Courtnae, and I belong to a bloodline of purity wherein something about our DNA protected us while in the womb and we were never altered. We are unchanged, unaffected, unaltered. Yet, we are different from one another because she doesn’t know she’s an unaltered human.

  Living on a planet where I’m a member of the minority isn’t so bad, really. Those with the powers and abilities who think they can rule the world have no control over me. My mind cannot be read, my future remains unseen by Seers, Healers cannot manipulate my body, and I’m untraceable to a Hunter for I have no scent. Runners would technically have the advantage over me if I was a regular unaltered like my mother. But I’m not regular. I’m not ordinary.

  I’m an Unaltered Diamond Bearer.

  I carry a piece of the Sanguine Diamond within my heart which gives me every known power and ability plus a couple more. Maetha, my mentor and the person responsible for the jewel in my heart, hasn’t admitted yet, but I suspect she bears a diamond shard in her heart as well. She said there were other regular unaltered humans out there, like my mother, but she didn’t tell me there were other Diamond Bearers like me.

  I met one just the other day.

  I’d been helping at my mother’s counseling clinic while her regular receptionist was on vacation and was sent on an errand to take a couple of files over to the Behavioral Health building. I could have easily walked, but figured I’d hit the Coffee Shack on the way back, and it would give me an excuse to drive my new cherry-red Mini Cooper. My parents bought me the car when I came home from my ‘Olympic’ training camp due to a ‘non-descript’ injury. I guess they thought it would cheer me up… they were right. I know I’m lucky to be the only child of two doctors and that most kids my age would be lucky to get a rusted-out, dented twenty year old car. I try not to brag but needless to say any opportunity to get behind the wheel excited me to no end.

  I backed up carefully making sure not to hit any other vehicle and when I turned forward to put the car in drive I saw a man leaning up against the building I’d just exited; strange that I hadn’t noticed him before.

  He stood around six feet tall with well trimmed black hair and I guessed his age to be mid forties. He had a square jaw line and a straight nose. I couldn’t see his eyes because he wore black sunglasses. He wore a long cowboy duster, the kind with a slit up the back, and square-toed motorcycle boots and had his hands shoved into the front pockets of his faded blue jeans which contoured to his lean figure.

  I didn’t realize at that moment he was someone of interest, but when I arrived at the Coffee Shack following the delivery of the files, I saw him again. This time he was leaning up against a pick-up truck with his thumbs hooked on the front pockets of his jeans.

  There were two cars in front of me in the pick-up window line and I realized I’d be here for a few minutes, so I decided I’d try to probe his mind, and exercise my ability to do so. He immediately blocked me with a force so strong it knocked the wind out of me. I heard his low, smooth voice in my head as I sat with a death grip on the steering wheel trying to regain my breath.

  “Now, why would a young girl like you be able to read minds?”

  I tried to fill my lungs with much needed air as my mind swam around the realization that this man was a telepath. Maetha told me telepathic powers died out over the years and the power only exists inside the whole Sanguine diamond. I only have a piece of the diamond now and I cannot communicate telepathically anymore, so I put my thoughts at the front of my mind figuring if he had this power, he must have others; he must possess a diamond.

  “Did Maetha send you?” I asked with my mind.

  “Maetha? So, she’s behind this?”

  Bingo! He knows about Maetha, he must have a diamond as well. “Behind what?” My lungs finally relaxed and I was able to inflate them properly.

  He readjusted his stance and took off his sunglasses. His eyes were near slits with heavy eyebrows hovering above. He looked better with his shades on and must have read my mind because he replaced them on his face. “Who died for you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The car behind me honked to alert me to pull forward one spot.

  “Maetha still operates with the same deception, I see. You should take my advice, little girl, get as far away from her as you can.”

  “Why should I listen to you?”

  “Because I know her better than just about anyone else!” His statement made my hair stand on end.

  “What’s your name?”

  “I don’t go by one. Names are mere labels which inhibit progression. I prefer to be recognized by what I offer, today I offer freedom. You may think of me as your freedom.”

  Ooh-kaaay, I was officially freaked out! “Oh, I won’t be thinking of you at all, buck-o!” The car in front of me pulled forward and I followed, only I didn’t stop at the window, I pressed the gas pedal to the floor leaving tread-marks on the pavement and a smoke cloud hanging in the air.
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br />   My heart raced with panic and my eyes checked the rear-view mirror repeatedly as I sped through traffic on my way back to the office. My compact car sliced through tight spots with ease like a bobsled and the further I traveled away from the creepy man the more my clenched jaw began to relax… until I arrived back at the office and found Mr. ‘Freedom’ leaning up against the building in the same spot as before. I knew his diamond would afford him the running ability, but it still shocked me to see him.

  “Calli, when you decide to utilize my help, all you’ll have to do is ask for it.” His lips parted in an almost evil smile revealing perfectly straight white teeth. Then he turned and walked away.

  It’s been a couple of days now since seeing him and I can’t help but keep looking over my shoulder continuously. I still experience the same panic when I think about the man who I’ve named Freedom whose whole demeanor reeked of villainy, and it would be just fine with me to never meet him again. I’ve wondered how he found me, if he sought me out or if he was just passing through and detected a difference in me compared to other people. I’ve also pondered on what he told me, especially his advice.

  More than anything, I’ve wondered how many Unaltereds have diamonds in their hearts too. Maetha said she’d come and train me how to visualize auras, like my roommate Beth from the Runner’s compound, but I haven’t heard from her yet. I will certainly ask her more about her powers and why Freedom was familiar with her—and how many others are like us.

  *****

  An important date is fast approaching; the day Chris Harding resigns as a spy.

  I would love to go see him… just to get my 'Chris fix'. I could watch from a distance, he wouldn’t need to know I was present. But what if he saw me? What would that do to him? Assuming he hasn’t forgotten about me already, he’d be reminded of the pain we suffered because of Maetha. Not only would it torture him further, it would also be hell for me; I was several years older in the vision I’d seen through the Healer’s window. I know I will see him again, but I also know now is not that time. He, on the other hand, doesn’t and shouldn’t know I have powers. He wouldn’t believe it even if I told him. From his perspective, the whole chain of events was manipulated along with him and me, thus nullifying any future between us. Not to mention the fact that in his vision I was a Healer, not the ordinary human he now believes I am.

  Chris doesn’t know I have powers and shouldn’t until the day the vision comes true. If I was present at his resignation he would deduce I had foresight or psychic abilities either of which would allow me to know his plans, and both would prove I have powers and abilities. Even without looking into the future I could tell it would upset the balance of nature for him to know I still possess powers; especially the healing ability.

  I don’t know what Chris will do with his life following resigning. I don’t know what type of information he was feeding to the government, but he truly believed everyone would be in danger if I picked through his mind.

  Chapter 2 - Nyctophobia

  I was able to see many different types of people while helping at my mother’s Psychiatric office; apparently the receptionist, Evelyn, thought she needed a vacation. I’ll admit it; I was nervous at first. I’m almost seventeen, but compared to the age of most of her patients I’m just a ‘whipper-snapper’. Alright, only one patient referred to me as that and he was eighty-nine years old. Imagine that, a man so old yet deathly afraid of the dark. Most of my mother’s patients suffered from the same phobia.

  I never realized what my mother goes through in the course of one day at the office. Take today for instance; her patient line-up began with a middle-aged man who tapes black garbage bags together and plasters them all over his windows to protect himself from the light. Another patient wouldn’t go anywhere at night because his fear of the dark was so severe. Yet another wouldn’t even leave the house in the daylight because she was afraid of cloudy days or even the shadows cast by big leafy trees. The final patient was a young girl around eight who suffered panic attacks whenever her mother tried to take her outside after dark.

  When my mother exited her office with the young girl named Sasha, she handed me the chart along with a yellow sticky which had a phone number and name written on it. She asked me to call the number and set up an appointment for the petrified girl.

  The name said Charles Rhondell. My eyes shot up to my mother who didn’t seem to understand what I was thinking. I’d met a man with that same name before; he was the leader of the Mind Readers. Was this the same man? Did that mean… I looked at Sasha who was eyeing me curiously, angling her head from side to side.

  She spoke to me in her quiet whisper of a voice. “You’re different.”

  I responded with, “How do you know I’m different when you’ve never met me before?”

  “No, you’re different than most, but just like the doctor.”

  “Honey, it’s impolite to talk to people like that.” Her mother nervously tried to suppress her daughter’s thoughtless blurt. I knew without even looking into the mother’s mind she was embarrassed of her daughter’s ability and she didn’t want to believe her daughter could actually read minds.

  “But Mommy, she doesn’t have a brain,” Sasha insisted only to be quickly ushered across the room and given a sharp reprimand.

  I picked up the phone and dialed the number for Mr. Rhondell. He was out of the office but a receptionist lined up an appointment for the following week. He would come to my mother’s office and meet with the girl.

  Sasha’s mother came back over to me. “I apologize for my daughter’s behavior. Sometimes she says things like that and leaves me horrified. I’m really sorry.”

  I glanced across the room to the couch where Sasha sat with her arms folded and her ankles crossed. I handed the woman an appointment card with the date and time Mr. Rhondell’s receptionist had lined up for her and then answered, “Don’t worry about it; most of the time I feel like I don’t have a brain. The doctor will meet with you in one week.”

  “One week? What am I supposed to do with her until then?”

  I looked around for my mom so she could rescue me but she’d already gone back into her office. So I said, “Well, don’t try to force her outside and she won’t have a panic attack.” The woman seemed frustrated with my response and dropped the card in her purse, walked over, snatched her daughter’s hand and exited the office at a brisk speed.

  Later that night at dinner, I decided I’d ask my mother about Charles Rhondell.

  “Who is the man you had me call for your last patient? Is he a doctor too?”

  “No, but he’s a behavioral specialist who works miracles with kids who are afraid of the dark and who think they can read minds.”

  “Do you get many kids like her?”

  “I’ve seen several patients with nyctophobia, but they weren’t all young like her. In fact, sometimes nyctophobia is accompanied with delusions of future sight. One mother was so upset because her teenage daughter was predicting the future with accuracy. It took me a long time to convince her it was mere coincidence.”

  “Do you remember what the girl predicted?” I asked admittedly curious.

  “Yes, she claimed to have foreseen the destruction of their entire town, Kalapana, on the big island of Hawaii in 1990. I didn’t meet the girl until several years later. I tried to explain to her that ‘premonitions’ are usually based on facts around us. The fact was, their town was in a potential lava path and sooner or later the town would be affected by the volcano. I told her our brains are quite powerful and can formulate possible future outcomes based on the facts at hand, but she defended herself to no end saying she’d seen the same images in her mind prior to the event happening. The mother was torn between believing her daughter and wanting to help her.”

  My father, Dr. Allen Courtnae, put his fork down and wiped his mouth. “Well, that’s completely understandable. If Calli came to us with information that our town was going to be destroyed, I’d listen. I mi
ght be a little hesitant, but I know her well enough to know she would never lie about something like that.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” I smiled at him and he raised his glass to me. My mind went back to Charles Rhondell and what might happen when he arrived at the office next week. I looked at my mother and quickly viewed her future and saw she would be blown away when Charles referred to my injuries. I deduced I should tell her right now that I know the man.

  “Mom, I think I met this guy while I was in Montana. One of the athletes was having the same symptoms as your patient and Mr. Rhondell was brought in to help.” A little white lie; sorry Dad, but I’m a seasoned liar.

  “Well, he is the best in the nation; I don’t doubt they would be anxious for him to help a potential Olympic candidate,” my mother said.

  “Mom, just out of curiosity, what type of premonition would you believe to be that of the paranormal variety?”

  “It would take something earth-shattering, something unpredictable, so out of the norm that heads are scratched.”

  “Like predicting the winning lotto numbers?”

  “No, that’s just dumb luck. I mean something like, ‘On such and such date, at such and such time, aliens will land at a particular place,’ something like that isn’t predictable and highly unlikely to happen. If someone foresaw that happening it would certainly catch my attentions.”

  “Calli,” my father interjected, “what do you want for your birthday?”

  Oh yeah, my birthday was only a few days away; the big seventeen! “I don’t know.”

  “See, I can predict the future too. I knew you’d say that.” He smiled at me and said, “We’ll surprise you, how about that?”