Dawn's Pendant

13| departure

Christina glared at the Sergeant clenching her hands beneath the table.

"How dare you say that. I saw her-,"

"I know what you saw, Christina-,"

"Are you telling me that she's faking? If so, she's doing an awfully good job!"

"Christina, calm down," Wyatt said.

"No," she said rising to her feet. "I knew this was just a joke. You CIA people are nothing but a joke. I bet ya just want me to crack so ya can brainwash me or lock me up in some psych ward. I'm out of here."

She turned to leave but Daniel stepped in front of her. "Christina what he's saying is true."

"It can't be. I saw her in the morgue. I saw her in that coffin," she said voice cracking into a squeak as a sob grew in her throat.

"Allow us to explain," the Sergeant said.

"I don't believe you," she said blood boiling beneath her skin. "My mom is dead and... I didn't get to say goodbye."

"We know," he said.

"So why are you doing this to me?"

"Please, sit down," he said the firmness in his eyes relaxing. Her senses screamed at her that he was not lying, but how was that possible?

"She's dead," she said assure of the fact, but her gut churned otherwise. She returned to her seat blinking so to hold back unwanted tears.

"She appears to be, but she is not," he explained. "See, she's in what we call the Departure."

"What is that?"

"It only occurs during dream traveling."

"This is insane."

"Dream traveling is a type of portalling only done through the mind. In Valeera, you would appear as a spirit form, a singular conscious, that must reunite with the body within a few hours or the person would become lost," he explained. "The only way this can be done is with magic."

"Magic?"

"Yes. This is why we have been investigating your mother. Thirteen-years-ago she portalled here, legally with you in her arms."

"Wait. So, I'm from this realm too?" Christina said massaging her aching forehead.

"Yes."

This is unbelievable.

"According to our records, she changed your names, but never recorded the real ones. That is common with these types of immigrants. Christina, one of the purposes of the EPC is to manage the immigration, but our top priority is to maintain the magical entities that are brought here- sometimes on purpose or by accident."

"Magical entities," she said rubbing a hand over her pendant beneath her collar.

"Yes. Like your pendant for instance. Is it made of crystal?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Can we see it?" Felicia said oddly interested in this part of the conversation.

Christina remembered what her mom had instructed her to do. Did she just mean random people on the street or everyone? By what the gunman said about her pendant, she chose the latter.

"Um... no."

"Why not?" Felicia said cold and frisky.

"Because I said no," she said not thinking of any other reason to give them. "I'm not giving it away. It's the only thing I have of my mother."