Allanahs Awakening : A short story

Alannah stands quietly at the bus stop.The bus has arrived but has not yet descended to the platform level so the travelers must wait for it to get into the loading position. The other travelers are impatient but Alannah is content to wait. She is secretly hoping that the bus will be late, even hoping that she will miss it. It has been almost fifteen years since the great awakening, but Alannah is stuck, caught in a no-womans land between the past and the future, unable to move in either direction. Sherina, Alannahs supervisor at the all night diner, arranged for Alannah to take some time off for reconstitution therapy. It is a popular therapy for those who get stuck in a temporal dead zone, as it is called. Alannah is excited at the prospect of discovering her past and is hopeful it will launch her into the future. Being stuck is like living the same day over and over and over again, coming from nowhere and going nowhere. Excited as Alannah is, she is also apprehensive. Getting unstuck is frightening. You never know what you are going to find. What if you find that you are someone that you will hate? Alannah wonders if maybe it would be better not to know.

Alannah has been content to live in the now, totally. It is hard for her to remember anything from yesterday and she has no concern about tomorrow at all. She does remember this mornings conversations though. It still makes her want to cry.

"You have to do this! It's no longer an option, Alannah. Your stuck and you need to get unstuck. Look outside Sweetie. What do you see?" Sherina asked Alannah who was giving her that doe eyed mindless look. "Go on, look outside and tell me what you see."

"OK. I see buildings and people. So what?" Alannah responded.

"Look closer. Are those the same buildings that were there when you started working here?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I never notice stuff like that." Alannah replied, already tearing up from the frustration of being asked questions she has no idea how to answer.

"You don't notice hardly anything, Alannah. I only see you get excited when the Princess is on the video. Other than that the only thing you do is get up in the morning and come to work, and then go home and go to sleep. That is all you have done for years and years and years. It's all you ever do. I give you the weekends off and you come to work anyway. If you don't get a shift you sit in a booth until it's time to go home. That isn't a life. You're young and beautiful and you need a life. That is why I want you to go to therapy. Reconstitution therapy works wonders. Things are changing, the world we know is changing rapidly and you need to change with it. You can't afford to be stuck between tick and tock anymore. I insist that you go to this therapy and if you don't I'm tying you up and dragging you down there myself. Is that under stood little lady? Now get your skinny little butt out to that bus stop and go! Here is your appointment slip. I love you Sweetie. This is for your own good."

"OK. I go." Alannah responded, now sobbing uncontrollably.

The bus ascended to its cruising altitude, about 100 feet above the pedestrian pathway, and began to accelerate to cruising velocity. Alannah will get off at the last stop past the edge of the city so she is not in a hurry to find a seat. A dozen other women have pushed past her to get a seat. Alannah moved out of their way and let them pass. For now she is satisfied to just stand and hold on to a passenger pole until the bus starts to clear out. The young woman piloting the bus calls out that the next stop will be at such and such a street corner in about 10 minutes. Alannah is unconcerned, her stop is at least another 40 minutes away. Stop after stop came and went and some women got off and other women got on. Soon the bus is almost empty, the only other passengers are a few school girls going to the academy at the edge of town. At last the bus stops at the end of the line and Alannah, now alone, departs.

Alannah walks down a cobblestone path to a small gated cottage. There is a small engraved brass sign at the gate which says 'Visual Reconstitution Clinic. By Appointment Only'. Alannah checks her appointment slip to make sure this is the right place and the right time. It is. She takes a deep breath and walks to the door, entering a small room. There is a couch and several chairs at one end and an artists easel at the other. An elderly woman enters the room and motions for her to have a seat. "Welcome, my sister. You must be Alannah. I am Maureen. I will be performing your reconstitution this morning. Relax. This works much easier when you are relaxed. Breath deep, take regular breaths, and let you body relax and your mind become open. There is nothing to fear. Have some herbal tea. It will help calm you."

"So how does this work?" Alannah wants to know. "What is visual reconstitution? Do you look into a crystal ball? I'm not at all sure what we are going to do today."

"It is really very simple." Maureen responded. "I am a seer. I can look within your consciousness and see images of people, places, and things recorded in there from your stream of past experiences. People work best since you have the richest relationships with people. I will draw them, a portrait of just their faces. I will draw the faces of people who were close to you, physically and emotionally close to you. As I draw and you see the face emerge it will focus your memory and allow it to reconstitute for you. You will explain to me as I draw who I am drawing, and your memory of that person, and your past history connecting you to that person will be reconstituted."

Maureen pulled a clean drawing sheet from a drawer and attached it to the easel. Using a sharp pencil she quickly began sketching eyes, nose, mouth, hairline until the image of a face appeared. After adding the detail with the pencil she took colored chalk and filled in the face and lips and eyes with color. "Let me know when you recognize the face and then you can start telling me the history the face brings to your memory."

"I don't know. That looks like me. You have drawn a picture of me. Or does that mean that I have a twin?"

"Ah. Good. The first test has been passed. I always start with a picture of the subject. If the image of you that I pull from your mind looks like the you that I see sitting here, then I know I am connected to the right consciousness, and that you have an accurate self image. There would not be much point in continuing if this test is not successful. If I am pulling from the wrong consciousness, then you will not recognize anyone since they are not from your history. If you have a faulty self image then any other image I pull from you is more likely made up than real and that would get us nowhere. You have passed this test as what I see on the paper is exactly what I see sitting on my couch. This will be a good session. This drawing is complete. You may have it if you like."

"Thank you so much." Alannah said with a smile. "I don't have any pictures of myself, much less a drawing. It's beautiful. What is that number you wrote after my name, 1875? What does that mean?"

"1875 is the date that came with this image. This is a picture of you in the Earth year called in that time 1875, in a place called California. That was a long time ago, about twelve thousand Earth years ago actually, and no place called California still exists. In you memory though, this place, this time, and this Alannah still exist, otherwise I could not have seen it within you."

"None of that means a thing to me." Alannah says with a confused look on here face. "You have drawn me as I am now, and now is all that I know. I don't know what 1875 means and I have never heard of California."

"Let us move on then and see what we can see. This next sketch will help you move your mind back to California and reconstitute the bits and pieces of that memory record. Then you can begin to connect the dots and make sense of it all." Again Maureen sketched a face, one that strongly resembles Alannah, but not quite the same. As she finished the sketch she labeled it 1855 but she left the spot for a name blank. "Take your time Honey, have some tea, let your memory flood back in. We are in no hurry. Give it some time and let it flow.

Alannah studies the sketch for quite some time, sipping tea, walking around and looking at it from different angles, looking up close, then from across the room. Sitting again, she tries to relax her mind and let it flow, but nothing is remembered. This picture, resemblance aside, is of a stranger. Logic would say that this young woman, who appears to be her age, is actually twenty years older. The date on the picture gives that away. So who is she?

Alannah stiffens up and her eyes grow wide as if she has seen a frightful ghost. "Mother!" Alannah suddenly blurts out, steading herself to keep from falling off the couch. A sudden wave of dizziness and nausea flows through her body. An emotional feeling as a heavy weight descends on her. A deep sadness envelops her. A choking grief constricts her throat as a painful lump develops leaving her unable to speak.

"Relax Sweetie." Maureen says, sitting next to Alannah on the couch, holding her and steadying her, also holding a pan in case Alannah needs to throw up. "This will be uncomfortable for a few minutes. It always is when the dam bursts and the memory flows. Lie down if you need. We are not in a hurry. Take your time."

A few minutes passes and Alannah says "No, I'm fine." Alannah sips some more tea and steadies herself on the couch. "It was just a shock to have that memory return so suddenly. I wasn't prepared for that. I do remember a little now. You can write 'Akasha' at the bottom of the picture. That was her name, at least I know that much. I do not recall much about her except that she died. I don't think I ever got over that. She was much to young to die and she died for no good reason. I guess that is why I forgot about her. The pain of her passing was just too great. Why can't I remember more than that?"

"You may take this sketch home with you as well. Put it on the wall next you yours. Day by day as you look at it you will remember more. There are more in you that I must draw, more that you must remember. Are you ready to continue?"

"Yes. Please continue. I'm kind of getting excited about who I'm going to meet next." Alannah said, sitting up straight now and not looking so sick.

For the third time Maureen busily sketches the details of a face, an extraordinarily beautiful young woman. It takes less time this time for recognition to occur. Before Maureen can finish adding the color Alannah knows who she is.

"Label that one 'Elina'. That's my little sister Elina. Oh my God, we used to fight all the time. I think I was jealous of her because she was the beautiful, sexy one, and she was jealous of me because I was the oldest and got to do everything first. When I got my first makeup she stole it. When Mom made her give it back she broke it so I couldn't use it. I told her about a boy I liked and then I catch her in the woods with him. She could have enticed any boy in town into the woods with her, she was so beautiful, but she picked the one she knew I liked. Fight as we did we were also very close. Mom was harsh with her. I think she was jealous of her too. So many times I would come to her defense and get Mom to leave her alone. What has become of my sister Elina? Is there any way I can find her? What about my Mom?"

Maureen paused for a minute, as if trying to pull in information from a long distance. "You Mother is no more, not in the sense that you remember her. Her essence still exists but as someone else and she does not remember ever being Akasha. Unless her memory is reconstituted some day, we will not be able to locate her. Elina is still Elina. She is a mother and a grandmother and a great grandmother but her offspring are not with her. They are in different domains. As you are she is also, alone. With some research I can get you her address. I cannot promise, however, that she will be ready to see you again. Reunions across domain boundaries are difficult. She may not remember you and have no idea why you think you know her.

As Maureen sketches for the fourth time and youthful face of a young teen aged girl appears. The eyes and nose and mouth are barely sketched before Alannah knows her.

"Brionna. That is my bratty little sister Brionna. She was the baby in the family and she got away with everything. She would do things Elina and I would have gotten beaten for and Mom just let it slide. She was the most irritating little thing in the world but I love her to death. Is she in another domain too? Can I find her?"

"Yes. I sense that Brionna is still Brionna. She also has a clan of offspring and most of them are with her. The same caution applies. We may find her but she may not know you. Study these sketches often and more and more will be revealed to you."

Maureen rolls up the Brionna sketch and presents it to Alannah who adds it to the rest of the drawing she is collecting. Once more she prepares the easel to draw.

"I have another sister? Wow! I must have had a big family." Alannah giggled.

Alannah stops laughing as the sketch takes shape.

"That is a funny looking woman. I don't remember her at all."

"That is because this is a man. This domain has only women so you haven't seen a man close up for thousands of years. So they do look a little funny."

"Stop! Stop drawing!" Alannah says with a shocked look. "I do know him and I have seen him recently. Look at any magazine or newspaper or turn on the video. You will recognize him too. Why is he in my memory? Who is this man to me?"

Maureen sketches a little more to get a clear image and then she too is shocked at who she had drawn. "Oh My! This is John of Penny Lake. He has been in the news a lot. John of Penny Lake is your father. You have a famous father Sweetie."

"A famous ass hole of a father. I don't know why, but for some reason, I despise that man. I even felt that when I saw him on video. Something about him just made me angry. I don't feel angry at the others, Princess Penelope or Princess Anahere, but something about him brings back some bad memories. You don't need to give me his picture or his address. I know he is in the Penny Lake domain. Everybody knows that. I don't plan to go there to meet him either."

Maureen smiles as she finishes the sketch anyway. "I think I've earned my wages today. This memory reconstitution has gone well, you have remembered much. I sense one more significant man in you stream of experience, a husband probably, but his time line is convoluted and I cannot get a clear picture. He seems to me a mixture of more than one, so I apologize for not drawing him for you. I think this sketch of your father may reveal the reason you were stuck. So take this sketch too. In time you may remember what has caused your resentment for your father and work to repair that relationship. It may also be the reason you came to a womens only domain. Many here have unresolved father issues. I recommend you work that out. You may find a more fruitful life in a different domain if you work out your issues with your father. "

"That won't be necessary. I'm perfectly content to live here with the rest of the girls, father issues or not. And no thank you. You can keep the John sketch. He is on a magazine cover everywhere I look anyway. One more question before I go. If my sisters are great grandmothers, where are my kids? Did I have kids on Earth?"

Maureen frowns and says "I sense that you were pregnant, but you did not survive child birth."

"You mean my baby was still born? Did I have a miscarriage?" Alannah asks.

"No sweetie. Your baby was born alive. You died in childbirth." Maureen replies.

"Died? What do you mean died? I'm alive so how could I be dead?" Alannah asks with a very confused look on her face.

"Oh Sweetie! I didn't realize you had forgotten so much. Of course you are alive because there is nothing else that you could be, but it is a matter of perspective. Let me try to explain. Earth is in a different dimensional framework than we are here. You see the Earths dimensional framework is invisible to us here and we are invisible there. It is called a level 3 framework and we are in a level 5 framework and the two cannot physically interact, they are dimensionally out of phase with each other. You were existing in physical form on Earth and when that form ceased to function you transferred your physical form here. From their perspective, however, the empty shell you left behind was dead. To them you were dead. When you came here you had assumed the same physical form here that you had there but you left most, if not all, of you memories behind. You didn't remember being Alannah on Earth so you did not know that you had died there. I'm sorry to dump this on you so suddenly. Like everything else you have learned today it will take some time but you will adjust to it and eventually understand."

Alannah rides the bus home as if she is in a trance. Everything looks different now. Looking out the window as the bus scoots along 100 feet above the pedestrian walkway below, everything looks wrong. There should be horses and carriages and wooden buildings, not buildings of glass and steel and hover cars floating around dodging each other in the sky. Recalling her identity and her life from the past has left her without a solid identity in her experience of today. She is a bit lost.

Sitting in a booth at the diner Sherina has brought her some pie and ice cream to cheer her up. Alannah has slipped into a state of melancholy, desperately missing a mother and sisters that she hasn't thought of for many thousands of years. Her memory now flashing back and forth between Earth in the 19th century and her new domain of Crystal City in what is apparently, in Earth time, somewhere around the 139th century. What has become of her family? What has become of Earth? Who is Alannah anyway? Is Alannah of Earths past and Alannah of Crystal City even the same person? Is this all a dream? Is this some sort of joke?

"Sherina. The diner is empty. Come sit with me. I need to talk."

"Sure Sugar. Whatever you need. I'm here for you and I know how difficult this is for you. I have seen many go through this. You will get it all put back together soon, I'm sure of that." Sherina answers as she sits down with Alannah.

"Tell me about -- this. Where are we really? What is this place Crystal City? I vaguely remember coming here, and you were here then to meet me and you got me this job. But it was all different then. Horses and wooden buildings, not this -- this modern city of glass that it has become. Why didn't I notice any of this before? When did it all change?" Alannah asks with a look of deep concern on her face.

"Baby, you were lost in your forgetfulness. That happens a lot around here. Most of us were in that state until the great awakening. Then many of us began to remember, and lately with all the stuff about the planet being readied for re-population it has been on the news non stop. The customers and the other workers have talked a lot about it too. But you, Alannah, would just zone out and go about your business like nothing was happening. That is when I knew that we had to get you into reconstitution therapy and recover your memory. I'm sorry it has been such a shock to you.

"To answer you questions though, Crystal City is what we call a domain, a perceptual bubble in which we can experience life in this form. When you came here is was the late 19th century on Earth and this town was fashioned after that period, because that is all we knew. As newcomers kept arriving the town kept up with the progress they brought with them. The town slowly evolved from wood buildings and dirt roads to paved walkways, steel buildings, and hover cars floating in the air above us. Our physical form is the form that we had on Earth and we have manifested that same form here in this dimensional framework that we call level 5. It has some extra dimensions that the Earth framework does not. Here it is much easier to manifest our thoughts into form. That level of manifestation is almost impossible on Earth. In order to experience life there you have to be born into physical form as an infant and live a life as that entity. There is a process we have developed for accomplishing that. When you do that you slowly forget whatever you were before and you adopt that form as your own. When you leave that form, usually because it dies, you manifest here in that same form because that is what you know, it is who and what you have become."

"So this is Heaven? Are we spirits?" Alannah asked.

"In a round about way maybe, your spiritual essence is the same, but you are just as physical here as on earth, just within a different dimensional framework. Many on Earth believed that after their life there ends they, or their spiritual essence, would go to one of two places, either a Heaven of perpetual bliss, or a Hell of perpetual torture. What they did not know is that there is in fact many thousands of places to go, this domain being just one of them. There are domains of perpetual bliss and their are domains of perpetual torture and souls can manifest there if they believe that is where they belong. Most of us, though, end up somewhere in the middle, because that is the right place for us to be given our level of conscious evolution and what sort of life we desire to experience. For some reason that you do not remember you chose to come here, and I'm sure you had a good reason.

"Few of us actually remember leaving our body on Earth and coming here. Most of us just find ourselves here with little or no memory of our Earth past and go about living our lives here as if nothing had preceded it. That is what we call a veil of forgetfulness and for most of us it is a good thing. It keeps us from the melancholy you are now experiencing, missing people that we have left behind, or longing to reunite with others who have selected other domains.

"Although there are other dimensional frameworks we could exist within, this one, which we call level 5 is where we go between trips to Earth. Our life form evolved on Earth, which is the source of our form, it is our origin, it is our home, and it is where we return when we leave level 5. Oh there are a few that ascend to higher levels, but for most of us after some rest and relaxation and some recharging of our essential energies, we return for another lifetime on Earth.

"Then everything changed. There was a great cataclysm on Earth, one that we refer to as the Great Influx. At that time, within a few short minutes, all life, every living thing on Earth and the whole solar system died, snuffed out in a flash. Since that time everything has been different and all the rules have changed.

"One of the biggest changes is that now we need our memory back. Forgetting where we came from and then recycling back to Earth after a short visit here was fine before. But after the Influx there was no Earth to go back to. Without life there it became invisible to us and we could not find it. We live here now, full time. It is therefore necessary for us to remember who and what we are and why we are here so that we can move forward with our lives. Otherwise we get stuck, like you have been, just reliving the same day over and over waiting to return to a live on a planet that no longer exists.

"Fifteen years ago a group of individuals from the Penny Lake and Powder Junction domains engaged in a joint mission to rediscover Earth and make some fundamental adjustments to our domains so that we could prepare Earth for re-population. Those adjustments resulted in the great awakening where many of us began to spontaneously remember who we were and why we were here. Others, like yourself, lost in their forgetfulness needed a little help, reconstitution therapy, to lift the veil. That is what you have just experienced."

"OK. Now for the hard part." Alannah said, gathering her courage to ask the difficult questions. "Grab that mag over there, the one with The Four on the cover."

"Alright Sweetie. I got it. What about them? Those are the guys I was just talking about who rediscovered Earth. They are on the news all the time these days."

"Do you see the tall guy in the middle?"

"Yes. That is John of Penny lake. He is like the grandpa of the group. What do you want to know about him?"

"Everything."

"Well lets see. As I understand it he arrived just before the turn of the 20th century, Earth time. He was in training with the domain host for Penny Lake to become a host and have a domain of his own. Then in the 22nd century, Earth time, the Great Influx occurred and that changed everything. Some of the domains doubled or tripled their members overnight. It was chaos.

"One of the kids that came to Penny Lake during the influx, it turns out, was this young fifteen year old girl named Sally. Sally and John sort of adopted each other as father and daughter. It was Sally together with her boyfriend who actually found planet Earth, which had gone missing, and figured out what happened and how to repair it. The adjustments they made to the dimensional frameworks allowed them to bring life back to the planet and it also resulted in the great awakening that occurred here. As a result these guys became very famous. That was about fifteen years ago and Sally and her boyfriend, who are now divorced, have a teen age daughter that we know as Princess Penelope. Sally recently adopted another teen who is an aboriginal girl and the ambassador to those who call themselves The First Ones. We call her Princess Anahere. The media calls them Princess because domains such as this, and Capitol City, have adopted this family as sort of their Royal family. They are EXTREMELY popular with the people here and VERY famous. Many magazines are based totally around the life and times of the two Princess girls and they have quite a good circulation."

"Do you think any of them will ever come here?"

"I don't know. That may be a problem for us if they do, with our privacy laws and stuff. When they are in Capitol City they are mobbed by the media and the paparazzi taking pictures and trying to get video and stuff. That is illegal here. Anyone even approaching another person uninvited could be arrested and put in jail. The discreteness protocol here is pretty much our prime directive. As popular as they are though, I don't know if our population could resist harassing them if they come. I guess we will see if that happens. So, why all the interest in these guys?"

"Well, it turns out that John of Penny Lake is my dad."

"What!? Really? Oh My God! Really? Shit girl. Then you could be famous too. That is really interesting news. So why the long face?"

"When I first realized he was my dad I was washed over will feelings of hate, and hurt, and resentment. I despise that man, and I don't know why. That is why I was hoping none of them would come here, well he can't anyway because he is a guy, but I don't know how I would react to the girls since, basically, I'm a relative. It's just a lot of complicated feelings and I don't think I can deal with that right now."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Even if they do come to Crystal City it's unlikely they would show up in our diner. You better get home and get some sleep. This will all get easier in a few days as your memory slowly comes back. Your shift starts at Six AM. Don't be late!"

In her apartment Alannah tosses and turns, unable to get much restful sleep. New memories are pouring in, especially in her dreams. In one dream she remembered that her mother called herself a double Indian. Her grandmother on her mothers side was an Indian from India. Her grandfather on her mothers side was a Native American, and in those days was also called an Indian due to a mistake made by ancient explorers. So she was double Indian. How silly these ethnic titles seem now. What possible difference could it make? Alannah is finally getting a few minutes of peaceful sleep when her phone rings. Still asleep she knocks it on the floor trying to answer it and is stumbling around in the dark trying to find it. It's Sherina on the phone.

"Girl! Get your ass down here in a hurry. You're not going to believe what is going on here."

"Huh? My shift doesn't start for hours. Why are you calling me now?"

"I'm serious. You gotta get down here now. You must have powers or something. You must be a prophet. You're not going to believe who is sitting right where you were earlier eating exactly the same pie and ice cream."

"Sherina, this better be good. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Princess Anahere. That is what I'm talking about. She is in the diner right now, sitting right were you were just a few short hours ago, eating the exact same pie and ice cream, from the same pie plate and the same ice cream bucket. This can't be an accident. This is destiny. Get you skinny little ass down here right now! You gotta see this!"

"What!?!?!?. The Princess? Holy shit! I think this is a bad bad bad idea, but I will be there a flash. You know you could go to jail just for making this call don't you?"

"Yes, but I also know you ain't gonna tell. Hurry you ass up before she leaves."

Alannah got off the bus a block away and hurriedly ran around back instead of going in the front. There were a dozen curious citizens hovering in the back of the kitchen watching the Princess through a crack in the door. Sherina was shushing them to keep the Princess from discovering the crowd.

"Good. You're here" Sherina whispered. "You have the floor. I'll sit back here and watch."

"Are you SHITTING ME!? I can't go out there!" Alannah whispered back.

"Destiny shines on you sister. Do it!" Sherina whispers as she hands Alannah the order pad.

Alannah stands frozen behind the counter trying to look natural, hoping the Princess doesn't notice her flushed face and sweaty hands. Suddenly though, her anxiety evaporates. The Princess is crying, tears streaming down her face, her hands and legs shaking uncontrollably. In a sudden wave of sympathetic understanding Alannahs heart melts. Alannah thinks to herself Oh my God, the Princess is going through the same thing I'm going through. That is what I looked like sitting right there in that same booth just hours ago. Maybe this IS destiny. Totally confident now Alannah steps up to the table.

"Is there anything I can get you miss? I just started my shift." Alannah says.

"No ma'am. I'm fine." Anahere responds.

Alannah walked back behind the counter all proud of herself and then suddenly she freezes again, her anxiety rushing back in. Another figure, one who has been stalking Anahere from the darkness emerges and enters the diner. It's Princess Penelope. Penelope slides in next to Anahere and they hug and begin to weep together.

Both of them? Alannah thinks to herself. Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit, it's both of them -- AT MY TABLE! What if they order something else? What if I stumble and fall. What if I pee on myself? What if snot comes out my nose? Oh God if you exist anywhere in these domains I need some help here. I know Penelope is going to order something and I'm going to walk out there and fall flat on my ass and then pee on myself, I just know it.

The two young girls cried for awhile then talked for awhile. They giggled and Anahere tossed a few coins to Penelope who, just as Alannah had feared, waved her to the table to take an order. The anticipation of a fearful event is usually much more painful than the event itself. Alannah made it to the table, took the order, and got back behind the counter without falling or peeing or anything nasty falling out of her nose. Dishing out a double portion of ice cream for good measure she made it back to the table and presented it to the Princess and made it safe behind the counter without any horribly embarrassing event overtaking her, all the time hearing the hushed whispers from the back room and wishing they would all shut the **** up back there. Whew! Mission accomplished.

The calm lasted for only a second and then fear pierced deep into her heart again. Penelope, who had barely taken notice before suddenly jerked her head around and stared Alannah straight in the eyes, then whispered something to Anahere, who grabbed ticket, reading Alannahs name written there. Then they both stared her straight in the eyes. Alannah was frozen, unable to speak or move, but luckily showing no external emotion. Holy Fucking Shit! They recognized me. She thought. How could they possible know? She could not hear the conversation but reading lips she definitely saw them say the name John more than once. They Know! They fucking know who I am and that I am Johns daughter! What can I do? Nothing! All I can do is just stand here like a statue and wait for destiny to mow me down like a dried up twig.

The two girls left some coins on the table saving Alannah the stress of collecting their tab and then hand in hand they left the diner. As they did Alannah definitely noticed that both the girls deliberately ignored her. Good, she thought. I don't want to talk to them and they don't want to talk to me. Maybe they won't tell dad who they saw. Someday though, I know, I'm going to get that call on the phone asking me to report to Penny Lake for an audience with dad. I hope I'm ready for that when it happens and I hope it doesn't happen soon. This is going to take a lot of getting used to.

After all the drama was over Alannah asked Sherina for another day off. There is much to contemplate, much to remember. I guess I'm really unstuck now, Alannah thinks to herself. I wanted to move into the future instead of being stuck living the same day over and over but I didn't think I would move this fast. It's been a little too much for one day. I'm hoping today that absolutely nothing happens at all. Tomorrow then, will be the first day of my new life, and the first thing I'm going to do is find Elina.

Calm now, confident and unafraid of what destiny may bring, Alannah sits in a booth in an all night diner, in the middle of a domain called Crystal City, one of thousands of other domains drifting in the middle of God knows where, and enjoys some pie and ice cream.

The End (for now).