Outside a cozy, old house near Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, a woman attended to the dense garden just outside its door.  Her tall, voluptuous body hovered over an array of potted plants as she knelt down gracefully to replant them.  The sun was gradually coming out, but a bit of a mist still hung in the morning air.  A small orange cat crept beside the woman, sniffing carefully at the plants.

 

                The woman turned her head as she heard a car pull into the dirt-and-gravel driveway, and the cat ran off behind the house.  Immediately, she set her gardening tools aside and pulled off the little pink floral gloves she had been wearing, tossing them onto the stoop.  She dusted off the long, loose, green paisley skirt she wore, hiked it up to her ankles, and ran towards the black car.

 

                Two men stepped out, both in professional attire but with an abundance of jewelry - silver chains and stone earrings.  One was tall, with blond hair. The other was a bit shorter, and wiry, with dark hair and tan skin.  The woman, whose name was Alina, had met the blond man before – his name was Brian Frohling.  She had never seen the dark-haired man in her life.

 

                “Good morning, Alina,” Brian greeted her.  He motioned to the dark-haired man.  “This is David Abernathy.  He's been one of us for quite some time, but only just moved to Pennsylvania about three years ago.  He's very close with Richard Salva.”

 

                Alina smiled.  “Good morning, Brian.  Nice to meet you, David.  How was it, the drive?”  She spoke softly, with her left index finger resting on her lower lip and a graveness in her voice; an overabundance of sincerity.

 

                “Fine.  May we come inside?” The blond man asked.

 

                “Absolutely,” she said brightly, casually biting the corner of her plump lower lip.  She opened the door and led both men into the dining room, pulling out chairs for both of them.  “May I get you anything, food, tea?  I have the breakfast made already because you both were coming, I made a toast with the cream cheese and jam, I made eggs…”

 

                The dark-haired man spoke up.  “We’ll just have some toast with jam and some black coffee, Ms. Galenko.”

 

                Alina frowned, fidgeting with the amethyst crystal pendant she wore around her neck.  “I did not make the coffee, I make it… I made tea.  Black tea,” she explained, with equal firmness and anxiety.

 

                “We’ll have that, then.  Don’t fuss so much, it's not like this is a fancy brunch date or anything,” Brian said with a warm smile.

 

                “Yes, I know,” Alina droned, serving both men what they asked for and grabbing a slice of plain toast for herself.  She sat down across from them, her shoulders squaring tensely as she settled into the chair.

 

                “So, Alina,” Brian explained, “Meredith Salva - Ren-Marithe - is now 16 years old.  Her true nature is really beginning to surface, in accordance with the Prognosis, do you understand what I am saying, Alina?” Brian looked Alina in the eye, making sure she was following.

 

The red-haired woman nodded firmly, taking a deliberate bite of her plain toast.

 

The blond continued.  “It is no longer safe for her to stay among the rest of the family, or among ordinary people at all, for that matter.  You’re the only person who will be able to-“

 

                “I do understand, yes!” Alina exclaimed, interrupting as she understood exactly what was taking place – Meredith Salva, Richard Salva’s daughter, would be brought into her home.  She dropped her half-eaten piece of toast onto the floral placemat in front of her and looked up at Brian, smiling.  “I have been waiting for this, seven years I wait for this!”  She chattered to herself, tensing up in her seat and burying her cheek into her shoulder.  Her smile bared her crooked teeth and forced her blue eyes into a squint.  “When will I get to meet her?”

 

                Brian laughed gently at Alina.  “We’re bringing her here tomorrow morning.”

 

                Alina clapped her hands reflexively.  “So soon!  Thank you, thank you.”

 

                David spoke up, and Alina turned towards him.  “That isn’t all,” he explained as he stood up, opening a briefcase filled with various documents, folders, and books.  “You may need these.  Her medical and psychiatric records, as well as these updated Prognostic texts, revised by Richard Salva himself-“

 

                Alina’s expression suddenly became cold and hesitant as she stood up and walked over to the dark-haired man.  She looked at him blankly as she rolled a piece of her unwashed auburn hair between her fingers.  “Why would you think I will be needing that?” She asked brusquely, pointing at one of the books.  “The last thing, the texts.  I already study the real one, ever since I was a girl!  Why look at what he says?  Always trying to be special, Salva, no humility.”

 

                “Well, ah, just to compare, you know, his observations, having witnessed her life until this point first-hand...and, uh, you know… how that all relates to the original Prognosis.  Try to have some respect for him.  He helped bring Ren-Marithe here, in the form of Meredith, and he brought you here to America so you could have the honor of assisting her in her actualization,” David explained cautiously.  "Out of all the other followers of the original tradition, and out of all the other Mediators within it, he picked you.  I heard you were the youngest, but also the most zealous.  He trusted you just on that alone,"

 

                Alina huffed, crossing her arms.  “Whatever, very well.  I am here for her, not him.  He knows!  He doesn’t care!  No one else could help him this way,” she said, deliberately pointing at herself, with her hand on her sternum.  “I hope that he is not forgetting that.  And neither should you, both of you.”

 

                David remained silent, gazing at Alina with a thin-lipped half-frown and downcast eyes.

 

                Alina’s eyes narrowed.  “Stop staring at my chest.”

 

                The dark-haired man shook his head and shrugged, nervously looking over at Brian, and then back to Alina.  “I, ah…  Sorry.”

 

                Alina took a deep breath and dropped her hands at her sides.  “Never mind.  I am sorry.  Brian, is there anything else?  Also, what time tomorrow is Miss Meredith going to come?”

 

                “We’ll be here with her around 10 AM tomorrow.  Be awake and be ready,” Brian said.

 

                “Of course,” she cooed, leading both men to the door.

 

                “And, hey, it’s still pretty early – maybe you could clean this place up a bit, go shopping, make sure it’s extra-nice here.  Maybe buy some clothes as a gift or something – there’s some extra cash in that briefcase I left.” David added.

 

Alina bowed her head.  “Of course,” she muttered reverently.

 

Without another word, the two men situated themselves back into the black car.  Alina stepped away, waving to them and smiling.  “Drive safely!” She shouted to them as they started the vehicle and pulled away.

 

With that, Alina returned to her gardening.

 

 

Next Chapter.