Undetected

Chapter Twelve

When I arrived home, the smell of peppermint and cardamon tea filled the air. Mari was sitting in the rose-colored chair, with a cup of tea in her hand, looking angelic. It wouldn't surprise me if she lived forever, she certainly looked as if she would. By hugging her, I received my source of synergy.

I plopped on the couch next to her, my body feeling slightly tired from the day's activity. Prior to drinking Mari's minty elixirs, my body would have been much more sore.

"Carter broke up with me tonight." The pain seared through me, like a steak in an oiled pan.

Starring out at the Bay, neither one of us spoke for a while. This view of the downtown skyline often had me sitting here for hours. The lit-up boats shimmered against the dark waters, and the Coronado Bridge stood like a painting in the background. Paying extra, ten years ago, for the top floor penthouse that offered this view was worth every penny. It was worth three times that today. I was sitting on a million-dollar-plus property, that I had no intension of selling.

"I am sorry for you both," Mari offered, breaking the silence between us. We both knew that there really wasn't much more to say about it because the why and what couldn't be changed. I was bound by a sacred oath to fulfill a life-long mission. And although, the post-break-up pain stung, the preparation I received years ago for what my dating life would look like, kept me in check. There was no other way.

After a few more moments of silence because of the emotions that we both felt, I turned my view from the Bay towards Mari. "Shadow?"

"In the form of a black leopard hungry for prey," Mari said, eyeing me with great concern.

"I thought it possible that she might be a shapeshifter."

"Professor Milton and I decided to valk around the zoo today, while discussing the Chemistry Department's next presentation. We were told by the guide that there were new cats in the Big Cat Sanctuary worth checking out. When we walked over there, what immediately caught our attention was a spotted leopard lying on top of a rock, lounging in the shade. It was easy to see that this was the star attraction of the Sanctuary. The feline had the shiniest coat I've ever seen, and by her sleek size and more feminine appearance, I could tell that she was a female.

Her large melanistic spots were outlined in the most pronounced blue color against her black-colored coat that I've ever seen. Then there were her eyes, which were the color of violet pansies in 3D. I saw them change to the shade of a violent storm a couple of times during our encounter. She never took those fierce daggers off of me, almost as if she was anticipating my arrival."

"The powerful creature drew us closer to her glass enclosure where her name plaque identified her as Shadow. The spot we were in was close enough for Professor Milton, who was visibly cautious. However, I edged myself closer, so that there were only a few inches of glass separating us. This allowed me to process what was happening, and as you can imagine, that is a lot.

"Mind-blowing." I replied, remembering the overwhelming feelings that overcame me during my encounter with her.

"She leaped off da rock and pranced towards me like I was her prey. Her movements were precise and deliberate. It was clear that she was trying to intimidate me and was waiting for a sign of weakness to pounce on. I stood still like a corpse and showed no emotion whatsoever. She licked her chops and showed me her teeth, warning me. By Professor Milton's comments, he was taken in by her but also frightened. Which he should have been, but of course he was oblivious to what was really going on.

When he excused himself to go to the restroom, I sat on the bench a few feet from the class enclosure to watch her. Then the beast leaped from the rock and walked back to her dark enclosure in the back. I felt a light breeze, and something light and feathery blowing against my right arm. I looked in that direction and there she was in human form, sitting next to me. She sat close enough to me, that I detected no heartbeat coming from her.

A few strands of her shiny hair escaped from her lustrous ponytail and was touching my arm. Twisted into a thick single braid, it unfolded down to her waist like a weapon. She is small in stature like me, but the force of her imminence was as vast as unbridled evil. She was dressed in all black, except for the same shade of midnight blue glistening from her hair, that outlined her spots in her leopard form. Not a word was exchanged between us, only the deep sound of her breathing which she synchronized with mine."

"She did the same thing to me!" I exclaimed, totally engulfed by the 3D visuals of Shadow in my mind, while Mari' told the story.

"Without warning, in a robotic manner she turned her head in my direction. I turned to face her, and when she lifted her eyes to meet mine, I saw the same otherworldly eyes that her Leopard form had. There were electric circuits running between us. I knew then who she was and the encounter that you had with her flashed before me. I felt like I was inside a maze that had no escape route. Thank god, Professor Milton came back and broke whatever spell that she was trying to cast.

"Once again, she was the powerful feline creature in her enclosure, walking with the grace of a dancer back up to her rock, licking her paws, as if she had just finished a satisfying meal. The whole thing was set up like a show on purpose. It took a moment to collect myself before I mentioned to Professor Milton that I needed to get back to the campus."

"That is Shadow. What she is, other than Ace's superpower, and extremely dangerous, is a mystery to me. We both know that she and Ace need to be stopped."

"Ya, but her powers will make it very difficult. This is a monster with no heartbeat!" Mari exclaimed. I thought I detected a degree of fear in her voice, which was rare. "It will take everything that we have to stop her. She wants us to be aware of her presence. But how much she knows and why she made herself known to us, has yet to reveal itself."

"Have you ever encountered someone living with no heartbeat?" I asked, wondering how it was possible for anything to be moving around without that.

"Ya, if they are dead."

"That's the chilling part, not to mention the message that was written in the sky when I was taking the ammunition to the police department, anonymously, so I thought."

"She could have powers and skills equal to ours, and may be picking up on that energy, without directly knowing who we are. Mari reached over to her bag and exposed a small white box, opened it, and took out a small case of brown vials with a liquid of some sort inside of it. "Blocker1's, that I've had for a very long time but never had to use, until now.

They will offer you a circle of protection so that no one can harm you. However, it doesn't stop people from detecting us. It just offers us a circle of protection. You have to drink one every two months. She handed me one, while taking one for herself. The liquid was tasteless and easy to swallow. Mari had so many potent elixirs & potions, that I wasn't surprised by this one at all. Many years ago, she showed me the secret place in her house where she kept her concoctions in labeled bins.

"Thank you. This is going to come in handy."

While researching more about Shadow and Ace. I need to stay on their every move and bring my clairvoyance into focus with these two. Shadow had already altered my precognition. All my missions were foretold in my dreams before they happened, except this one. I needed to meditate to bring those powers back into focus.''

"I believe her force field is scrambling your power, so it is a good idea to go deep inside yourself like you say, ya. The blocker will help you block some of her energy, but the rest is up to you," Mari reached for her tea cup and walked it to the kitchen. "I have Raul digging for any information he can get his hands on."

On her way out, we hugged at the bottom of the stairs.

"You know, the timing of you and Carter breaking up is a good thing. You don't want Shadow wreaking havoc on him or heaven forbid Mia."

Although that revelation saddened me, I knew Mari was right.

"Everything happens for a reason, doesn't it?" I offered.

"Ya." And with that Mari was on her way down my stairs, when she turned around, "I have a blocker2 in case 1 isn't strong enough, but try on your own first." She gave me one of her twinkle winks and was gone.

I had to hand it to Mari, she always had options. At the same time, she was big on doing what I could do with my own natural ability.