Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) Read Free Page B

mother’s arms like a rag doll. My parents would excuse her nightmares, brushing them off as a result of an overactive imagination. But they weren’t just nightmares. They were premonitions.
    “At my estate in Colorado, I had a highly qualified medical staff on hand. I also kept in contact with my metaphysical coach, Kenji, based out of Kyoto University in Japan. I asked him to come and observe Anna as soon as possible. I had Elisabeth, Gabriel, and Anna stay with me for a couple of weeks for observations.
    “As soon as Kenji arrived, he observed her. Since he’d trained me, he was familiar with the underlying abilities I possessed, and he knew that Anna had inherited many of them.
    “Elisabeth told Kenji how she remembered the fear of not being able to move. She said she’d told Mom in secrecy, but we’d been poor, and going to a doctor about such things had been considered a luxury.
    “I can only imagine the guilt Elisabeth felt after realizing that what she’d suffered from had been passed on to her little girl.
    “Kenji and the medical staff spoke with Elisabeth and Gabriel about Anna’s seizures. The seizures were caused by Anna’s inability to control the mental overload from her metaphysical abilities. She needed training and therapy to show her how to deal with her abilities, but she couldn’t do that without a greater mental capacity.
    “Her little mind was not strong enough to know what to do with all of this. It was wreaking havoc on her. We had to try to find a way to increase her mental capacity.”
    Sebastian paused, looking at me. Just then, a flashback comes flooding into my mind. I’m holding Jesca on the bookstore floor back in Georgia before her training at the facility. I try to shake the painful memory.
    Sebastian sighs. “The Copula was a solution. Of course, Elisabeth and Gabriel were apprehensive at first. They had many questions. The staff and I provided answers and made sure they were comfortable with the benefits and risks. They quickly realized that the best thing for Anna would be to keep her close to Kenji and the medical staff. She would need observation after the implantation and during intense training. They remained in Dobria for ten years, and then they returned to Earth.
    “It’s ironic in a way. Anna was the first person we implanted to save her life. Ultimately, she became the one that could stop the Sondian fellowship and save our lives. Until Samson Crest came along.”
    I look away from Sebastian, stand, and tuck my hands into the pockets of my pants. “Anna knew Jesca would need the Copula because of the abilities she would one day inherit. We both agreed to implant her for her protection, but Anna knew she had to protect Jesca from the abilities growing within her.”
    Sebastian nods, confirming everything I have said.
    I blow out my lip, anticipating that Jesca might not forgive me for what I have kept from her about the copula and for what I have just learned from Sebastian about the familial reasons for implantation. I let out a guttural growl of frustration.
    Sebastian leans back and closes his eyes, letting the sun warm his face. “Nate will be level-headed about it. Jesca will be mad and frustrated. Your intentions to protect her have always been pure at heart, and she will realize this. Telling young guardians what we are considering here is overwhelming. It provides them with a reason to run, instead of compelling them to stay and fight. We both know that Jesca is different. She will stay and want to understand what is within her. Jesca’s abilities are just beginning to surface.”
    Sebastian opens his eyes and looks at me. “The abilities that are innate within her can be held at bay for only so long. Just as Anna did, Jesca will use them to fight for humanity, Ezra.”
    I feel the wetness forming around my eyes. My vision blurs from the tears. “Yes, she will fight until the very end, just as Anna did. That is what I’m fearful of. Sam Crest will