Awake

An hour. An hour since Kennedy had awoken suddenly, drenched in sweat and trembling. An hour since the mysterious impulse hypnotized her. An hour since she lost all control.

An hour since she tore through the dusty abandoned streets of Rachel, Nevada into the summer night.

Kennedy drove, only partially aware of her movements, of the long road she traveled. Her thoughts bombarded her. Too many questions, not enough answers.

All that was clear was the voice which had called her. He had called her by name...and now she was a helpless slave, obsessed with finding Him. It drove her like an invisible, unstoppable force. Fear gripped her stomach, twisting it into painful knots, but the insatiable yearning to know the truth kept her foot heavy on the accelerator of her black 68 Camaro.

Kennedy turned sharply, led purely by the instinctual drive. Her eyes caught the road sign for a split second. Extraterrestrial Highway. Why is it leading me here? She asked herself frantically. It’s taking me down restricted roads...this is the way to Groom Lake. Her heart hammered hard in her chest. It threatened to break ribs, while sweat accumulated in the hairline of her long, curly auburn locks. Swallowing hard, Kennedy pressed the accelerator. Metal touched metal as she pressed it all of the way to the floorboard. She had to find Him.

He had called her by name.

Years of searching. Years of aching. Years of begging the sky to give her the answers. Answers her soul so desperately craved...answers she needed. Finally, the call had come. Nothing would stop her from answering Him, even the catastrophic repercussions of entering Area 51.

Kennedy licked her lips and squeezed the steering wheel as she approached large signs that forcefully warned that she should turn back. She wasn’t entirely sure what would be done to her when she arrived, but she knew if she turned back now she would regret the decision for the rest of her life. The dirt road quickly became less even, jarring her as she bounced around over the gravelly roads. Kennedy flew past another sign; she was just about there.

She couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t already been met by military forces, why there were no guns, no lights, no resistance whatsoever. Despite her confusion, she pressed on. Everything was about to change and the military was the least of her worries.

A metal gate came into view and quickly grew closer...closer...closer. Kennedy tensed every muscle in her body and fought to keep her eyes open as the Camaro sailed through the gate, blowing it wide open. She was where she needed to be. She slammed on the brakes, kicking up dust and rocks violently as the Camaro screeched to a halt.

Shoving the gear shifter into park, Kennedy threw open the door and ran toward the entrance. She left without looking back; car on, keys still in the ignition, door open. There was no time to waste, there was no coming back.

Without warning, a shimmering flash of silvery-purple light lit up the black sky. As it faded, it shimmered like millions of diamonds. Kennedy continued to run through the arid desert. Dust from her tracks filled her nose, overwhelming her senses. The dry texture coated her tongue, but now was not the time to worry about her physical discomfort.

Again, her mind shot to the security of Area 51. She had yet to be challenged. It didn’t make sense. Why is this so easy? she thought urgently.

A moment later she discovered why.

Men were stationed around the entrance. Armed men… and lots of them. They were vigilant, ready to stop any unauthorized individual from entering. As Kennedy ran past them, she saw they were perfect statues, frozen in place. Scared and confused, she thought about stopping, but only for a moment. The drive kept her going.

Kennedy was in decent shape, but she’d never been an athlete. She covered what felt like a mile, maybe more, while her muscles burned and her chest tightened. Her pulse was too high, her breathing was rough and her airway threatened to close. Asthma. She had asthma, and in the midst of her journey, in her trance-like state, she’d left her life-saving inhaler behind.

Terror overwhelmed her just as she arrived.

Wheezing, fighting to pull air into her lungs, Kennedy saw the sleek white and silver structure buried halfway in the Earth. Could that be a spaceship buried in that crater? She limped closer, down to what she presumed was a spacecraft, wondering if she would survive long enough to get answers. She needed them. She hoped she hadn’t secured her fate with one moment of carelessness.

She narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of a puddle flowing from the ship. The substance wasn’t quite water, but wasn't solid either. It appeared thick and gelatinous, yet perfectly smooth. Perfectly serene. It glowed a gorgeous silvery-blue. Kennedy’s wheezing became louder as her heart rate brought her close to unconsciousness. This was it. She was going to die. She had failed herself. She had failed Him.

Kennedy collapsed, only a few feet from the glowing matter and reached a hand out, hoping to make contact. It hummed. It hummed at a frequency that sang to the core of her being, sang to her blood. Something about that material spoke to her in a way she had never before experienced. She struggled harder to reach it, but only a second passed before her hand fell heavy against the dry earth, dust rising around its place of defeat. She wanted to cry, but she had spent all of her energy trying to breathe. She had failed…

Her eyes fluttered closed and her airway closed further. In the darkness, her only solace was the sweet humming of the glowing plasma. It continued to sing to her even as she slipped further into the abyss.

A moment passed when three high pitched beeps sounded from the spacecraft, followed by a softer hum. Kennedy had just enough life in her to force her eyes open and saw a green light emanating from the craft. It poured over her body, engulfing her. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but whatever it was...it was too late.

She closed her eyes.

Dizzy from lack of oxygen, Kennedy moved her fingertips against the dirt in tiny, weak circles hoping it would offer her some sort of comfort as she died. Mentally, she counted the circles when suddenly she couldn’t feel anything but air. Opening her eyes once more, she saw she was hovering over the Earth, rising higher with each second that passed. She was weightless, floating helplessly over the silvery-blue substance. A light emanated from it, bathing her body much like the spaceship’s light had only a moment before. Her body tingled; coolness washed over her. Out of nowhere, her lungs opened and she gasped for air. Relief overwhelmed her. Coughing, she cleared her airway. How is this happening? She wondered, breathing rapidly.

“Kennedy,” He called.

His voice seemed to come from all directions and yet she could not see Him.

The silvery-blue plasma began to take form before her eyes. Kennedy gasped.

It had formed the being who now stood below her and gazed deeply through her. He moved with elegance and grace she had never seen from another being. He stretched an arm toward her and extended a long, slender finger. Instantly she began to descend toward the Earth, toward Him.

“Kennedy...You heard my call.”

Her feet touched the dusty earth. “I had begun to think you weren’t real...I was about to give up hope,” She whispered.

She couldn’t pull her eyes from Him; He was the most magnificent thing she had ever observed. His form was that of a toned human man, but instead of flesh like hers, His was a breathtaking mixture of blue, purple, and magenta hues. The vibrant colors swirled and flowed, brightened and dimmed as His chest rose and fell. It was as if He was made from the very heart and soul of a nebula. Kennedy’s eyes traced every detail of His body until she met with His brilliant golden- amber eyes. She swore she saw thousands of radiant suns living, dying and exploding in those haunting gateways to His ethereal soul.

“You must never give up hope,” He pressed her. “Now, it is time for you to awaken.”

Kennedy didn’t understand. “What do you mean?” She asked Him.

“You feel, you have felt your whole life...but you have forgotten so much. It is normal, but now you must regain your memories in order for you to continue what you came here to do,” He explained.

Kennedy’s brow furrowed and her stomach tightened. She understood the feeling. Ever since she could remember, she could feel everything. She felt when a neighbor fell ill. She experienced pain when a tree was cut down. She mourned the loss of people she had never met. Since childhood, Kennedy could recall feeling so much she had to fight to keep herself sane. That made sense...but memories? What could she have possibly forgotten?

“Everything is energy, Kennedy. The Earth, other celestial bodies, you, me...everything within the universe makes up a never-ending web of energy. There is no beginning and no end, only transition, only growth and evolution. Sometimes when there is a transition from one life to the next, memories are lost.”

Deep within the very fabric of her being, Kennedy felt the truth of his words, but she still couldn’t bring herself to understand. “What am I not remembering?” She questioned. “Please tell me. I need to know why I’m here. I have to know what I’m supposed to do! I can feel it in my bones, I’m here for a reason...but I’ve nearly lost all hope. I’m so confused, I’m so alone!” She cried, tears beginning to trickle from her amber eyes.

The glowing being extended a hand toward her, as if the very cosmos were reaching out to her. “Take my hand and I’ll show you,” He instructed.

The answers were within reach. This being made of energy sang to her blood, He sang to her soul and vibrated before her, willing to share what she’d been dying to know. Suddenly, she was afraid. She had never really amounted to much; she was always the sick kid with few opportunities. Fragile and forlorn, ignored by her peers and pitied by her elders who should’ve been shepherding her along the path in life. The strange young adult with no friends. Perhaps the answer was that she had lost her mind long ago and all of this was simply a wild, elaborate delusion.

She had to know.

Slowly Kennedy reached for His hand, trembling.

They touched and everything went black.

Surrounded by absolutely nothing, adrift in a sea of darkness, Kennedy screamed yet heard nothing. She clung to the being for safety, but couldn’t feel his physical form. She worried it had happened, she had finally severed her last tie to sanity, when the blackness engulfing her changed. It began to vibrate. Kennedy felt the waves penetrate her body, working their way into the depths of her being. She stopped screaming and held still. Afraid to move, afraid to even breathe. As minutes passed, Kennedy listened, felt the frequency of the vibration, and found her anchor. Panic subsided and images came.

She saw the Earth; every living being across the globe. She saw the daily horrors humanity inflicted upon itself. Horrible things, despicable images burned into her retinas and branded onto her soul. Kennedy was well aware that atrocities happened, but now she saw even those which were ignored by modern society. Ones she hadn’t known about, couldn’t have known about. She saw discrimination, pain, anger, and war. She saw hungry children, torn families, and abuse; the broken bodies that people cast away.

“Everything is energy...unfortunately, human beings have tapped into the energy web and have muddied the waters. They’ve polluted the energy fields on earth. They have lowered the frequency to a dangerous, unsustainable level. We have seen this kind of destruction before,” the being told her, pain in his voice.

The images she had been watching transformed into new visions that shifted into even bleaker ones. Destruction of other planets, of other people on a scale larger than her brain was capable of processing. While there were many different colors, forms, and languages, the themes were all similar. Greed, intolerance, fear... Kennedy perceived their suffering, she felt a bursting in her chest as if the emotions were far too overwhelming for her body.

She kept in control. “I still don’t understand. Who is ‘we’?”

“Other ascended masters, enlightened beings.”

“Like you? Are you an alien?” She asked.

He chuckled, his voice like a warm, soothing, protective liquid encasing her in comfort. “Yes, like me. Alien is humanity’s way to describe what I am. Human beings lack the language to fully communicate with the energy, with the full spectrum of possibilities the universe, in its infinite wisdom, provides.”

“What does this have to do with me? Why would you bring me here? Are you the one who froze the men at the entrance?”

The darkness faded until Kennedy could see herself and the being again. She studied her body, checking to make sure all of her was still there. Once she was certain she was okay, she focused her eyes back on his face.

“I brought you here because of the energy vortex. The humans can feel it, but they can’t see it. They can’t understand it. They flock to this area, build military forces, conduct research...but they are no closer today than they were when they started. They haven’t come close to discovering the power here. I have tapped into the energy web of all human beings within close proximity of this base; we will not be bothered. I had to ensure we could safely meet,” He explained. “We find souls like you who can tap into the web and make change for the better. Proficient energy workers and healers.”

The line between her eyebrows deepened. “Like me? I don’t know if you understand now. I’m no one. I’m Kennedy Quick, a twenty-year-old kid with no college degree or any education to speak of. I work at a convenience store. I’ve more health problems than I care to admit... basically I’m a failure,” Kennedy said as she began to cry. “You must have me confused with someone else.”

Before Kennedy could react, the being reached for her again, this time pressing a cool hand against her chest. Goosebumps raised around his touch and spread like wildfire down the lengths of her arms, back and thighs. Instantly she submitted herself to him; she felt the fabric of her being meld with his until she was unable to determine where she ended and he began. Their energies hummed and sang, vibrated and danced. For the first time in her life she breathed clearly. She felt better than she ever had before; she felt no pain. “I am reaching into your human DNA and fixing errors. While you need to have human experiences to enlighten and come home, and we need you to heal this planet, we never meant for your body to betray you to this degree. I have visited you in your dreams previously to correct genetic flaws, to turn genes off...but it has been far too long since my last visit. Now that you are ready to awaken...you can begin to heal yourself. You can learn to tap your own web and mend areas that have weakened or broken.”

She could feel down to her core, at the deep well of her cellular makeup... repairs were taking place rapidly. The sharpness of her senses exploded, rendering her able to smell every component in the environment, taste everything she smelled. Her ears picked up sounds from over ten miles away.

“What’s happening,” she cried, overwhelmed.

“You’re waking up,” He told her. “I want to show you something.”

One last image burst before her; she saw the being in darkness. Energy erupted from his chest, radiating outward in all directions until the tendrils formed a ball of swirling light. She watched as He caressed the ball lovingly for a long time. Once he released it, he watched it float away from him with an expression of happiness mixed with pain. “It became too much to stay the way I was, filled with such intense, enlightened energy...I chose to create a new life from my own. I chose to create you.”

Kennedy couldn’t believe what she was hearing...and yet it all registered deep inside her. “But... all of the problems I have...” she gently argued.

“How could you help them, if you didn’t understand their suffering. It has been painful to see you go through so much and not be able to help you, but now I can give you something that will allow you to fulfill your purpose here... and come home to me.”

She felt the strength that had been within her all along surge upward out of the abyss of her soul. Immense power bubbled up and great understanding came over her. “I am here to heal. I... I’m not human.”

“Precisely. You are here to tap into the energy web that makes up this very planet. Your soul is in fact divine, but you incarnated in this life as a human so that you could do this vital task. It would be far too dangerous for one of us enlightened beings to come. The beauty of your position within your soul’s growth process is that you could still take other forms. When I bring you to the energy web vortex located here, the strands will sing to your touch as they do from mine, but you will be harder for the humans to detect. The healing you weave will reverberate from the inside out. You are here to heal not only others, but yourself as well,” the being reminded her. “The energy vortex here is potent...you must start your work here. I will show you where it is and how to access it, but I can’t stay forever, I must not be detected. The humans have caught one of our own once before. We cannot allow such a toll to be taken again.”

Memories from lives she had lived before now flooded back to her. Stories of how she built her strength, her passion for helping others...she could remember everything. She felt sure of herself now. “Will I have to return here to heal the web?” Kennedy asked, unsure how she could pull off multiple trips, even in her human form. This was still Area 51, a place so secret, so well guarded it had been believed people were shot for coming here.

She shivered, despite the dry heat of the desert.

“No. Once you make initial contact, you will weave energy cords that tether you to the web’s vortex. With practice, you will be able to make contact from any distance on earth.”

Kennedy gawked in disbelief.

He looked at her. “Have more faith in yourself, Kennedy...you no longer have the excuse of memory loss.” In all His magnificent power, He was still capable of humor.

The familiar emotion that had never ceased to accompany her longing for Him before this night washed over her. She hadn’t been ready for it. Her cheeks flushed a bright red and her heart beat increased quickly. The emotion she had attempted with conviction to experience with another human being and had failed to each time. Overwhelming, all-encompassing, unconditional love. Despite Kennedy’s innate ability to feel what others felt, she had never once forged a bond this strong, this raw with anyone else, but now in His presence...it was as simple as breathing.

She swayed on her feet until He caught her. “Hold onto me. I will have us there in a matter of a second and then we will start.”

Before she could ask for more information, the world went black once again. This time, Kennedy felt prepared, but only a second later she found this time was much different than before. Brilliant, colored lights began to dance across the void, fluid and melodic. Kennedy had only seen something similar before in videos of the aurora borealis. She gasped at their beauty, she clung to Him for grounding. “Listen.” He instructed as they seemed to come to a complete stop. “We’re here.”

Kennedy’s enhanced sense of hearing allowed her to hear the lights sing as they danced. “This...is this the web?”

“Yes.” He hummed. “This is the energy that makes up a large section of the planet you now call home. When it recognizes your ability to communicate with it, the colors will arrange themselves in a more workable web.”

Wide-eyed, Kennedy continued to stare and trace the hypnotic, otherworldly ebb and flow of the vibrant lights. “Where are we exactly?”

“We are at the bottom of Groom Lake.”

Kennedy dug her nails into His nebula-like flesh and felt the urge to swim upward. “How are we breathing?”

His heavenly amber eyes locked with hers. “I am supplying you with the oxygen you need. You must remember, we work on a level human thought cannot fathom...but you are not human. Remember Kennedy. On this planet humans breathe air and drown in water; this is not so for all life forms. When we have crossed into other planes of existence on the energetic level, you are quite safe from drowning. Connect with yourself and you will fully harness your power, but do not approach with fear. You must never act in fear, this is a human emotion that only brings pain.”

Kennedy worked to let go of human constructs. Initially she felt as if she had hit a brick wall with her face first but she was shocked at how quickly she broke through the wall and reached a place of total acceptance. “Sing to them.” He told her suddenly, His voice as smooth as ever.

Kennedy turned her eyes to meet His. Her soul ached for Him. His voice, His appearance...He felt like home. Incapable of controlling herself any longer, Kennedy leaned in and delicately pressed her lips against His. He held and kissed her in return with such passion, such raw power Kennedy felt their souls intertwine. His body became hers, His humming energy blended into hers until she felt they had become one. A minute passed when He gently parted from her, lengthening, not breaking, the connection between them. He tasted like home.

Her eyes bounced around His face, unable to figure out what He was thinking. She worried she had done something forbidden, something taboo...and His silence wasn’t helping her come off the preoccupation. He came in on her swiftly, catching her off guard. His strong arms wrapped around her just before He returned His lips to hers, this time, exploring the inside of her mouth. His cool touch transformed into hot liquid, seemingly pouring over her body. The heat penetrated her body, warming her from the inside out. Kennedy clung to him, desperate to take their connection to the deepest point possible. Intent on breaking through any limits, any barriers that existed. She had to know exactly what there was between them and what they could do with that attachment.

Their thoughts and internal dialogue became audible to the other. There was no hiding anything anymore. “Kennedy...may I have you?” He asked her, His voice caressing her ears softly.

“Yes.” She sang, wasting no time in her response.

A smile tugged at the corners of His celestial lips. Contagious, Kennedy smiled back. He held her face gingerly in His hands and kissed her lips, deepening the kiss almost immediately. Kennedy held Him close, running her fingertips and palms against His skin. His energy poured over her, entering her body as it made contact, just as His body did. Gasping, Kennedy gave herself over to the immense pleasure their union brought her. Leaving all human ideas of what the encounter should feel like behind, she avoided losing herself to a shattered mind and dove into the experience with every fiber of her being. He moved against her hypnotically. Kennedy only took a moment to match His movements, a dance she had never before taken part in, but had been born to do.

The pleasure mounted until it hit a magnificent peak and brought Kennedy floating downward onto what she imagined a cloud would feel like. She laid on her back, gazing up at the lights streaming across the sky. He softly joined her and held the hand closest to Him. “Sing to them.” He instructed one more time.

Confused, but confident, Kennedy began to hum a made-up melody. When nothing happened, she increased her volume and sang with the intent to communicate. The lights that danced overhead froze in place and vibrated. “Continue.” He purred.

Kennedy sang more, immersing herself in her aim, sending each note out to the lights themselves asking them to show her the web. The colors continued to vibrate, harder, their hum louder, until suddenly a flash nearly blinded her. When she blinked back her vision, Kennedy was stunned. The flowing lights had formed a massive web, dwarfing both her and the man. The web was a bluish-white hue and vibrated softly, but as Kennedy stood and reached out toward it, she felt the power had only increased. He stood beside her. “Don’t be afraid. Reach out. Reach with your energy. Your soul will remember what to do and the web will respond to your energy.”

Taking a deep breath, Kennedy did as He told her. Her hand trembled as it reached the closest tether of the web. For a split second, the doubt her ego harbored crept in. I’ve really lost it. No! She fought it back and reached forward with sureness in herself, and the web.

Her fingers made contact. Instantly the tether she touched flashed a blue-green, the color slowly seeping into the strands close to it. She closed her eyes and extended her consciousness. I’m here to help. She told the web. I’m here to make contact so that I can help from a distance.

The web’s consciousness touched her mind sharply. I know why you’re here. I am as much a part of you, as you are of me. Together we can craft a better reality.

Kennedy smiled. Memories flooded her. She knew what to do. She visualized long threads of her own energy flowing from her body, her feet, her knees and navel, her solar plexus and heart center, her throat and forehead. One last thread birthed from the top of her head, glowing a brilliant purple hue. May I attach myself to you so we can communicate no matter where I am?

The web’s vibrations hummed a sweet tune. Yes.

She consciously willed her cords to travel toward the web, and connected in several places. The threads wrapped snugly around strands of the web and then fused seamlessly into place. The connection was complete. Thank you. Kennedy expressed.

Thank you.

Kennedy opened her eyes and saw the web was now lit up with more colors than her human eyes had ever witnessed. She was captivated. In that moment she felt her heartbeat in her chest, and as she mentally tracked its rate she realized the web’s color was brightening and dimming to the exact rhythm of her heart. “It is time to go now.” He spoke. “We are out of time.”

He took her into His arms and in the time it took Kennedy to blink, they had returned to the hot Nevada desert. To their left, her Camaro was waiting for her.

He set her down, His movements as graceful as they had been before. The brilliant sun was beginning to peek over the horizon in the distance. “Thank you.” She began, touching His hand. “I will see you again...right?”

She didn’t know what she would do if this was their last meeting. Before tonight, it had felt like they had lived lifetimes without contact. She couldn’t do that again. She wouldn’t do that again.

“I have never left your side, and I never will...just remember what you are here to do. We will be together again.” He promised her.

Kennedy smiled. “I have work to do.”

“Yes you do. The humans here will remain frozen long enough for you to drive away. If you need me, all you have to do is call. Sing to me like you sang to the web. I will hear you no matter where I am and I will come to you...even if it is in dreams.” He promised.

Kennedy blinked and He was gone.

She wanted to cry, she wanted to beg Him to come back the instant He was gone, but her purpose and strength returned shortly after. She looked up at the sun as it radiated its warm rays across the desert. The web was invisible to her eyes, but she could feel it inside of her and hear its hum. Determination to carry out her purpose burst in her chest. She had work to do and now nothing stood in her way.

She was awake.