Karmas return, p.20
Karma's Return, page 20
“We would have called a meeting, but we know how busy you are,” Gaia told him in a measured tone.
His smile didn’t show any teeth and never reached his gray eyes. Walking closer he stuffed his hands into his pockets and addressed Gaia. “From what I gathered, you’re about to go down to the physical realm. Will you be saving another lost teenager like Karma did?”
“What I do is none of your concern, Dion. I’m not borrowing anyone’s body. I’ll be going as myself.”
“Interesting. Especially because I seem to recall that when I did that, you disapproved – strongly.” He stopped next to us. Leaning back on his heels, he stared down at Gaia while once again crossing his arms.
“I disapproved of the chaos you caused, Dion. I might be older than old, but I haven’t forgotten that the Roman Empire fell because of you.”
He tilted his head and shrugged. “You agreed that their spiritual growth was blocked by greed. Things needed to be stirred up a bit and I just decided to have some fun while doing a dirty job.”
“Your fun always seems to bring devastation with it.”
“Hmm. It’s bold of you to speak of devastation when natural disasters follow every tantrum you have. How many millions have you killed in avalanches, hurricanes, and tropical storms when you were having a bad day?”
“I know your favorite thing to do is provoke me, but I don’t have time for your games.”
Studying Gaia’s younger form, he tilted his head. “You really think that you can go down and pretend to be human?”
She pushed out her jaw a little and raised her chin. “I’ve done it before. It won’t be for more than a few months. That’s a blink of an eye to me.”
“Perhaps, but what are you going to do when you see people throwing trash in the street or watering golf courses with what little clean water is left? Are you going to walk by like any other human pretending there’s nothing you can do about it?”
Gaia’s deep frown caused the right side of Dion’s lips to twitch. “I want to be there when you lose your temper – maybe I should visit you at the school.”
“Don’t!” Gaia warned him, but Dion continued teasing her.
“Come to think of it, I might go down and visit the physical realm for a while myself. Wouldn’t it be fun if we met down there?”
Realizing I’d been holding my breath, I inhaled and spoke fast. “Dion, you don’t like it when we meddle in your work so why would you show up at the school when you know that you would be a distraction? Gaia is trying to help humanity.”
“We all are,” he pointed out. “That’s what we do, darling.”
“Yes, but we have very different methods. Yours are brutal, what with your love for wars.”
He looked offended. “I don’t love wars. Nor am I denying that they sometimes serve a purpose to shake up the world order and make people appreciate the little things in life. Where would humanity be without the important discoveries and inventions made by doctors and engineers during times of war?”
Gaia cut him off. “Dion don’t come visit me. I suggest you focus on your job up here while I fulfil my oath on earth.”
Dion responded dryly. “Suggestions aren’t supposed to sound like orders, Gaia. Don’t think you have power over me.” He took a seat on the log opposite us. “I would like to make a real suggestion though. How about we add another ancient soul to our group? With you three always sticking together, it's been too long since I've had an ally. I would like to volunteer to find the right male soul for the job.”
“Why male?” Gaia asked. “Gender shouldn’t matter.”
“Ah, but it seems fair that we bring a bit more balance into the circle of ancient souls, don't you think? You wanted Karma and Miracle, and now I want to be the one to choose. Our values are those of equality, are they not?”
“Exactly. Which is why we should all have a say,” I pointed out.
Miracle looked a bit torn when she supported Dion. “He has a point that the three of us are very close and he often stands alone.”
“Selecting an ancient soul is not like choosing a pet,” Gaia remarked with a stern look. “That said, with the increased amount of humans on earth it would make sense to add one more of us, but when it comes to areas of disagreement there are no guarantees that they will side with you.”
“Miracle has taught me to be optimistic,” Dion said with a smile. “I’ll look for someone special and then we can discuss it further.”
Gaia gave a short nod, not picking up on the look he gave Miracle. “Fine, I’ll be available when the humans sleep but please don’t disturb me unless it’s urgent. I would like my time on earth to be short and efficient.”
Dion dipped his chin to her. “Don't hesitate to call if you need help. Humans have a tendency to get on your nerves after a while. It's their ego making them think that they have all the answers. It gets tiresome to hear them argue without knowing who you are.”
“Thank you, Dion, I will keep that in mind,” Gaia said and squeezed my hands. For a moment we stood smiling and sharing a minute of mutual appreciation.
“We’ll keep an eye out for you from this side,” I assured her.
She hugged me. “I love you, Karma.”
“I love you too, Gaia.”
When Miracle joined our hug, it made the crown of flowers on my head tilt to the side.
“What about me? Don't I get a hug?”
Releasing us, Gaia ignored Dion’s question and disappeared into the physical realm.
Miracle and I turned to him.
“What happened? Gaia and I used to be so close,” he complained but didn’t seem sincerely upset.
“The medieval ages happened,” I said. “None of us will ever forget how you two were locked in a power struggle for more than a century.”
“So? That was a long time ago. What about all the times I’ve helped one of you three since then?”
Dion was hard to understand. There were times when he shielded his thoughts from us, and I always found him unpredictable. He had done incredible selfless, generous things while I knew him, but his methods of helping humans were brutal at times.
Miracle opened her arms to Dion. “I’ll give you a hug.”
He took it and held on to Miracle with his eyes closed. I was compassionate enough to understand that he was not in an easy position. It wasn't hard to empathize and understand that seeing Miracle, Gaia, and me bond would make him feel like an outsider.
To show him my support, I joined them in a group hug.
We hadn’t been hugging for more than a few seconds when Dion whispered to Miracle and me, “Don't you wish we were human right now and we could do more fun things than hugging?”
I laughed and pulled away. “It's been millennia since I last had a threesome and I promise you that it’s the last thing on my mind. I have work to do.”
Miracle was quick to offer me her assistance. “Do you need help?”
“It's fine. While I was in Emma's body, I came across some souls at the school in desperate need of a lesson in empathy. I'm just going to pay a quick visit to Westlake High School and then we can talk later.”
Dion grinned. “Karma has it covered, but I could use your help, Miracle.
“With what?”
“If you come with me, I'll show you.”
The look in her eyes told me that he made her nervous, but Miracle was not some sweet and innocent high school girl who needed my protection. She was a powerful ancient soul who needed to sharpen her tools and set boundaries with Dion.
Through our telepathic connection, I told her so and ended my message with a small pep talk, you’ve got this. Now go show Dion who's the boss.
The last thing I saw, before I descended to the physical realm, was Miracle squaring her shoulders and raising her chin.
Chapter 23
Lesson in Empathy
Karma
My first visit to Westlake High School had been when Emma’s spirit guides had asked for my assistance. The second was when I came to clean up the mess I made. Now I was back to help other students in need.
Walking down the hallway I was aware that I no longer fit in here. My tall figure with the radiant glow around me looked graceful and I was dressed in my timeless long, blue summer dress that went all the way down to my bare feet. My hair was thick and healthy with the flower crown resting on top. A part of me was sad the students and teachers couldn’t see me simply because I would have loved to see their faces and get a good laugh. But all the spirit guides that followed the students and staff around saw me and many stared in awe.
Recognizing Emma’s team at the end of the hallway, I hurried in that direction.
“What’s going on?” I asked them when I saw Emma in a confrontation with Kate, Maddie, and Amy.
Alo, the guardian who had originally asked for my help, explained. “They are attacking Emma. We’re excited to see how she’ll respond.”
Looking around I saw a circle of guides around the four girls.
Emma’s expression was grave with her lips in a thin line and her knuckles white from where she was holding her bag across her shoulder.
“You’re such a bitch, Emma,” Kate hurled at her.
I raised a brow and met the gaze of the guide behind Kate. He stood close to an older woman who was whispering in Kate’s ear. “You’re better than this, Kate. It’s not Emma’s fault that you’re angry.”
Other guides were talking to Maddie and Amy, but both girls were focused on the confrontation and didn’t seem to hear a thing.
“Who the hell do you think you are to steal Maddie’s boyfriend? Where’s the girl code?”
Emma was surrounded by Kate and her friends and this time I wouldn’t be able to help Emma. I could make an earthquake happen right here and swallow Kate whole, but it wouldn’t change anything because if Emma wasn’t strong enough to stand up to a bully, then she would eventually end back up in that bathtub.
“Come on, Emma, stand your ground. Set your boundaries like we talked about. This is your chance to prove to yourself that you’re not a pushover. Come on, girl, we believe in you,” her spirit guides cheered for her like coaches on the sideline.
Squaring her shoulders, Emma faced Kate. “I’ve experienced a great deal of sadness in my life, Kate. But I can’t imagine how much pain you must walk around with every day to be this mean. What low self-esteem you must have to feel a need to bully and ridicule those around you.”
“Shut up,” Kate exclaimed with narrowed eyes and her nostrils wide open.
I was proud to see Emma stand her ground. “Ty is a person, not an item you can claim or own. Who he wants to date is up to him and from what he says, he was never Maddie’s boyfriend to begin with. If you really wanna talk about girl code, Kate, then let’s talk about how you’ve been trying to sabotage Maddie since the beginning to get Ty to yourself.”
Kate’s fists hung tightly clenched along the side of her body. With a grimace of anger, she spewed, “You know he’s only dating you because of a dare, right? It’s to win a bet. It’s kinda pathetic, really, how you’re buying the whole thing and believing that he truly likes you.”
Amy and Maddie stood with their arms crossed and nodded in support.
Pain crossed Emma’s face and my heart went out to her. I’d been inside Emma and knew the scale of hormones and insecurity she dealt with. Few people would be able to stay strong and calm during an attack like this.
Kate’s guides threw up their hands in frustration and looked to me with defeat while Emma’s guides were talking all at once. “It’s not true, Emma. Don’t believe her. There’s no bet. Trust your gut instinct. Ty isn’t playing games with you.”
Emma scrunched up her face. “What an awful thing to say, Kate. Seriously, I’m so thankful not to be stuck inside your head. It must be toxic and horrible if all you come up with are hurtful lies. Don’t get me wrong, you’re always welcome to come to me, but only if it’s to apologize or to get the number of a therapist. Don’t waste your time trying to bully me. Your opinions mean absolutely nothing to me.”
Kate, Amy, and Maddie gaped as the girl they’d tormented for years finally stood up for herself.
Kate was out of words. Her hand flew through the air and smacked Emma’s cheek.
Kate’s spirit guides covered their faces and looked down while Emma’s guides moved in front of her as to shield her from further attacks.
There was a small gasp in the group of onlookers as Emma’s head hung to the side with her hair falling down to cover her face. Everyone watched as Emma raised her head back up and a smile spread on her face. “Thank you, Kate, for proving my point that you are an awful person.”
I raised my hand to my chest, feeling so proud. Emma had grown from a quiet girl to a young woman, strong enough to stand up to a group of bullies. It made me sure that she could handle anything.
“Well done, Emma,” I said despite her not being able to hear me. Her guides, however, heard me and smiled like proud parents as one of them followed her down the hallway after Emma pushed her way through and walked off with a confident bounce in her steps.
Down the hallway, I spotted May. She still had her purple and black hair and looked up when Emma came walking. From the way May linked her arm under Emma’s elbow and fell into step next to her, I had a feeling that the two of them were about to become good friends.
Emma’s other two guides, Mo and Alo, stayed back to talk to me.
“We can’t thank you enough for what you did for Emma. She’s had such a boost in her confidence.”
“Does she remember anything?”
“Yes, but she thinks meeting us and her grandmother was a dream.” Alo grinned. “The funny thing is that she also came to the conclusion that this might be an alternative reality from her own. Last night she was afraid to take a bath because she fears that the tub is a portal somehow.”
I laughed. “These kids watch too much television.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to say how grateful we are.” He and Mo gave me a last smile before leaving in the direction where Emma and her other guide had gone.
“You are Karma, are you not?”
Turning, I saw Kate and her friends huddled together in a corner whispering about Emma, but between us stood Kate’s two spirit guides with concern written on their faces.
“I am.”
“Can you help her?” Both of Kate’s guides were androgenous in looks and radiated love as they looked back at Kate.
“That’s why I’m here.” With a sympathetic glance in Kate’s direction, I asked, “What happened that made her so angry? This can’t be about Ty.”
“It’s not. Kate is a sensitive girl with a big heart. It’s just that after her father died four years ago, she’s been angry at the world.”
“What’s her problem with Emma specifically? Did something happen between them?”
“No, not directly. It’s complicated. Emma has the perfect family and a bigger talent for basketball. Kate needs a scholarship because her mother can’t pay for college. Her anger goes back to their freshman year where Emma made the varsity team, and the college recruiters came to see her play. That was hard on Kate.”
The guide with the kind eyes and forehead filled with frown lines from worry added, “She sobbed herself to sleep wanting the same thing so much.”
“So it’s all just jealousy?” I asked.
They nodded and walked with me as we moved down the hallway following Kate, Maddie, and Amy. “Ty is only interesting to Kate because she knows Emma has a crush on him. We’ve been trying to guide her toward Alec from her English class, but he was her boyfriend in kindergarten and it’s like she hasn’t discovered that he’s not a little kid anymore.”
“What’s the plan then?” I asked and watched Kate’s tiny, multicolored box braids sway from side to side behind her back.
“For the past two years, we’ve been trying to get her to give up basketball. She’s always miserable after practice and her right wrist has been injured twice. We’re afraid that it could impact her life plan of being an artist. We want her to get back to painting again but since her father died, she hasn’t wanted to because it was something they did together. It’s sad because she’s incredibly talented and there’s a scholarship for her if she goes in that direction.”
I watched the girls walk in front of us, bitching about Emma. “If you’ve tried nudging her away from basketball for two years without results, then maybe it’s time I did a hard intervention. She’s not going to like it, but wake-up calls are never fun.”
“We support a redirection of her focus,” both her guides told me.
“Good.” When the girls took a left turn toward the cafeteria, I set a few things in motion.
Carl, the largest linebacker at the school, got the sudden impulse to steal the hat that his buddy Alec was wearing. Alec gave a shriek and tried to cover the mane of unruly hair that he hadn’t had time to style this morning and quickly took up the chase to get his hat back.
Carl was moving fast for a young man his size and practically came flying down the hallway and around the corner where he collided with Amy, Maddie, and Kate, who were knocked to the ground.
The screams from the girls were caused by surprise more than pain, but then Alec came storming after Carl. In his attempt to avoid stepping on Maddie, who lay sprawled out on the floor, he fell himself and landed with all his weight on Kate’s right leg.
She roared out in pain.
We stood watching as the two young men scrambled to their feet, apologizing over and over to Kate and the other two girls.
“He’s certainly no small boy,” I said as I took in Alec, who was at least six foot four and heavily muscled.
“Get away from me, you idiot!” Kate screamed at him when he tried to get her to her feet. “There’s something wrong with my leg. I think you fucking broke it.”
With a look of determination, Alec bent down and picked her up in his arms. “Come on, I’m taking you to the nurse.”
“Put me down,” Kate complained, but he was already moving down the hallway with her in his arms.
