“Goodnight Mum.” I kissed her on the cheek and closed the door to my bedroom. It was nighttime. My favourite time of the day. A time when I truly came alive. When all is quiet and the world stops moving.

Slipping beneath the covers of my bedsheets, I feel eager to slip out of my body to the otherside. I still remember the first time I went out with my parents as a lightworker. Although my childhood was filled with dreams of playing with angels and children in heaven, nothing could prepare me for the shock of entering the astral plane consciously for the first time. I was 10 years old, young and innocent. I clung to my mother’s skirts and followed her everywhere.

And that was how I found myself gliding through the air towards the clouds that night. The higher I rose, the more I could see of the earth. I rose above the dark clouds and paused to regard the scene below me. I was greeted by the spectacular sight of the earth, a glowing ball of blue spinning in space and propelled by the invisible force of the indwelling earth spirit.

I closed my eyes to whisper a prayer of thanks to God, the creator of our solar system and the source of our existence.

“BOO!” someone shouted behind me. It was James, my brother, grinning from ear to ear.

“I should have known it was you.”

He stuck out his tongue and blew raspberries with his mouth.

“How old are you? Grow up!”

“I . . . don’t . . . care.” James blew bigger raspberries and made funny faces at me.

“You’re far too serious, you need to lighten up. Tonight should be fun.”

“You’re a Virgo for crying out loud. I don’t know where you get this silliness from.”

“Stop trying to fit me into a box. The stars have very little influence on me now and you know it. I’m free to be whatever and whoever I want.”

“Nonsense, you’re not that powerful yet.” I flicked my hair and turned away from him to look at the earth. “If you’re going to pretend that you’re so clever and so far advanced to be above the influence of the stars, can you at least behave like a 20 year old.”

“Hey, relax. I’m joking. What has gotten into you tonight?”

“You. I was perfectly fine until you came along.”

Suddenly, the air swirled around me, causing the hairs at the back of my neck to stand up. It was our parents. Mum and Dad materialised before our eyes.

“What is going on? Are you two standing here arguing again?” Mum said with a serene smile although I detected a hint of impatience in her voice.

“He’s annoying me on purpose,” I pointed to James.

“Rebecka!” Dad warned. Unlike Mum, he didn’t mask his disappointment.

“It’s not my fault this time, honestly. Why do I always get blamed for everything?”

“Because you don’t know when to stay quiet,” said James.

“But I’ve got to stand up for myself —”

“Rebecka! Just stop talking. We’re running late now. Hurry,” said Dad.

I nodded and glided beside Mum, who chuckled in response. “You’re so much like your grandmother. Independent and rebellious in every sense, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Come on, we better hurry.”

I linked arms with Mum and within the wrinkle of an eye, we were standing in front of the temple. We had circled the earth to Europe, but the journey only took a few minutes. When a person stepped out of their physical body in their soul body as a lightworker, the possibilities were endless. I could go through mountains, oceans, or fire and nothing would harm me in my soul body.

“We’re here, come on,” said Mum. Her voice jolted me out of my thoughts. We were indeed standing in front of the grand entrance of the temple in the astral plane, home of the central council. This was where we received our assignments for the night. James and Dad worked together and I usually followed Mum wherever she’s assigned. I did whatever she said, which usually involved picking up the children who’ve recently passed away and taking them to heaven.

The structure of the temple was circular and reminded me of pictures of ancient Greek architecture, with tall pillars surrounding the building like guards. Although it was made from the stuff of the astral realm and suspended in midair on a sea of clouds, it appeared as solid as any building on earth. The double oak doors opened of its own accord and we went through to a large foyer decorated with rich dark floorboards and a dazzling chandelier. In the middle of the foyer stood a glass table with flowers. There was a long flight of stairs ahead which curved around the circular structure. The effect was breathtaking and it never ceased to amaze me. The lightworkers usually mingled around here, waiting to be called for their assignment by whoever was in charge but tonight it was quiet and empty. Suddenly, I heard someone coming down the long flight of stairs.

“You’re late tonight. All the others have left.” It was Mark, one of the regular Adepts who lived in the temple.

“Sorry Mark,” said Dad. “The children held us up. We came as fast as we could.”

“I bet you did.” He shot a knowing glance at me and James. I looked down at my feet as a sense of shame came over me. I wanted to protest and explain what happened but I held my tongue.

“Keith, there’s a new kid in Waterside Valley who is just about to fall off his motorbike around the first turn at Mountain Alley. If you hurry, you might be able to save his life.”

“I’ll go right away,” said Dad.

He was about to take James with him when I held up my hand. “Can I come with you?”

Dad’s eyebrows shot up in surprise before he quickly concealed his expression.

“You know something? That’s not a bad idea. I think you should go with Keith and James for a change. Hannah is experienced enough to handle the children alone and it’ll be good for Rebecka to broaden her experience,” said Mark.

I whispered a quick prayer of thanks. The Adepts never ceased to amaze me with their observation and perception. Mark knew that I was desperate for new experience in a way that Dad never could. Ever since I turned 18 on the 2nd June, I’d hoped they’d give me my own assignments. I knew Mum loved taking care of the children and I enjoyed it too but I wanted to do something different.

Dad nodded quickly before he held out his hand. “Come on then.” Turning to Mum, he said, “We’ll see you back at the house.”

I joined hands with him and before I knew it, the room disappeared into nothing. Within the flash of a few seconds, we stood by the side of a familiar road which twisted and curved through the natural shape of the mountain. I knew this road, it was the only route into Waterside Valley, the town of my birth and the place I called home. Boasting a population of 20,000 residents, it was one of an extensive network of small towns, known simply as the network, for mystics and spiritual wannabes. It was nested in the valley of two vast mountains in North America and surrounded by rivers and lakes. Just as Mark had predicted, a boy was lying in the middle of the road, surrounded by the scattered remains of a motorbike.

“Is he alive?” I asked.

“He must be, otherwise I don’t think Mark would’ve sent us to help him,” said Dad.

“Sometimes we have to help the dead cross the threshold,” I said.

“Not on this occasion. Let’s take a closer look.”

We inched nearer to the scene of the accident. Up close, I realised the boy was wearing black leather pants and a jacket. His left leg was twisted and facing an odd angle, indicating a broken bone. Dad kneeled on the hard tarmac floor beside the boy and touched his neck, checking for a pulse.

“He’s alive, but cold to the touch. When you look with your inner vision, can you see the blue flame on his forehead between his eyes?” Dad asked, glancing at me and James.

I focused my eyes on the spot Dad had indicated and saw a hollow darkness between his eyebrows, but surrounding that was a faint blue light that crackled like flames.

“Yes, I can see it,” said James.

“Me too, but it’s faint.” I said.

“Good. That is one of the most reliable ways of proving if someone is dead or alive. His spirit’s been knocked out of his body by the impact of the crash so he’s merely unconscious, but his life force is draining away. James, help me lift this helmet off his face.”

We were in the middle of nowhere and I wondered how we could get him to safety. My heart accelerated as I watched Dad and James try to tag the helmet from the boy’s face. The buckle appeared to be stuck and it wouldn’t shift.

“Rebecka, can you try and call his spirit back into his body? We need to wake him up so we can remove this helmet.” said Dad.

“How do I call his spirit? I don’t know his name.”

“I doubt he’s gone very far. He’s probably hovering around here somewhere. Just look with your inner vision to see if you can spot him. If not, concentrate with all your thoughts on calling him back,” said Dad.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds and focused on the boy, repeating in my mind that he should come back. I scanned the area with my inner sight and saw a band of angels gliding away in the clouds, their shining luminous auras obscuring the light from the moon. At the very top of the highest mountain point stood a boy in his soul body.

“I think I see him. . . up there.” I pointed to the mountain, drawing Dad and James’s attention away from the helmet.

“Go up and talk to him. Hurry,” said Dad.

“Alright.”

I glided towards the figure as fast as I could but as I approached he backed away. I could now make out his distinct features, a straight nose, square jawline with penetrating and magnetic blue/turquoise eyes, and well-defined sensual lips. His hair was curled on his head like a bird’s nest, making it appear as if he hadn’t run a comb through it for days. The look suited him, adding to the handsome and mysterious image he portrayed. Unfortunately, a trickle of blood dripped down his face where he must have injured himself from the motor crash. I remembered every single moment of my life, including the moment I was born. It was impossible for me to forget a face like that, but I had to contend with the stark reality that I had zero recollection of him.

“Stop, I just want to have a word with you. I’m not going to harm you.”

He paused and allowed me to move close enough so that I stood face to face. He clutched his face where the blood was dripping and winced.

“Sorry about that, it looks painful.”

“You have no idea,” he said.

“You’re right I have no idea. I’ve never been involved in a motor crash before. You need to come back to your body so we can help you.”

“My body is broken. Look at it just lying there. I’m not going back to that.”

“As long as you’re not dead and your spirit is still connected to your body, the pain will be more intense when you’re outside. Your body dulls the pain to an extent so the best thing for you to do is to come back.”

He stared at me in silence, clearly unsure of what to do.

“What is your name?”

“Brendan.”

“Come on Brendan, I’m sure you don’t want to die just yet. We need to get you somewhere nice and warm.”

“I don’t care what happens. I just want the pain to stop.”

“Then come with me. We’re lightworkers, sent by higher powers to assist you. That’s my Dad and brother over there.”

Brendan looked down to where Dad was waving at us. Suddenly, he covered his mouth and looked like he was going to be sick.

“Come on, we need to hurry.” I stretched out my hand to him and led him down the mountain top.

“Rebecka! He’s losing a lot of blood,” Dad shouted as we neared. He was crouched over the limp body lying on the road.

“What’s his name?” Dad asked.

“Brendan,” I replied.

“Brendan, please step into your body. It’s as easy as lying down, just walk inside through your head with your feet.”

Brendan did as Dad instructed and disappeared inside his body. Shortly afterwards, he coughed and moved his legs, trying to sit up. Dad cradled Brendan’s head in his lap, helping him to turn it the other way for easier access to the buckle, which James was able to unfasten with ease. Together they pulled the helmet from his face, revealing a devastatingly handsome face with bruises mainly to the left side. Underneath his eye was a deep cut where blood was dripping like a steady tap.

“Rebecka?”

“Yes, Dad.”

“Come and heal him.”

My eyes widened in surprise. I knew about the healing force and seen it applied on more occasions than I could think of but I had never healed anyone before. James smirked at me, grinning from ear to ear. We both knew Dad was testing me and I was determined to prove myself. Usually, a lightworker was given the chance to practise the healing art on small wounds or animal and sometimes plant injuries before doing so in an emergency situation like this.

I knelt down and touched the blood on his face. It was warm and sticky with a strong, coppery smell. I closed my eyes and focused all my thoughts on drawing down the healing force from above, as I had been taught. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding completely. I focused with all my strength on drawing more of the healing force through my hands but it didn’t make any difference.

“That’s enough Rebecka,” said Dad.

I looked up with disappointed eyes and saw a smile of reassurance from Dad.

“Don’t worry, you’ve done really well considering you haven’t practised before. The key to mastery of anything is practice. You’re going to be superb at this once you gain more experience.”

I nodded and stepped back from Brendan’s body, giving way for James to complete the healing work. He didn’t even close his eyes but simply touched Brendan’s face and the blood ceased immediately. James had displayed a natural bent for applying the healing force since he was little, although it’s true that he also had more experience than me.

I shuddered as James twisted the broken leg back in place. He held it together for a few minutes before running his hands up and down the entire length of the leg.

“He’s as good as new. He should make a full recovery within a few days,” said James.

“Excellent. Let’s get him to the recovery centre. I don’t know what he was doing riding on this road but I’ve never seen him in our town before,” said Dad.

“Me either,” I said.

“Mark said he was a new kid, so I’m guessing they just moved in,” said James.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” I whispered. All the network towns, including Waterside Valley, were closed communities and nobody could move in unless approved by the central council. Those who lived outside the network were known as the lost ones and they inhabited what was left of the major cities in the world. Rarely did someone join or move outside the community.

“I don’t suppose he told you where they came from when you spoke to him?”

“I’m afraid not. We didn’t speak for long.”

Dad shrugged. “I suppose it’s not a big deal. We can find out later. He looks about the same age as James. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in college.”

I nodded, although it was hard to guess Brendan’s age with all the blood caked on his face.

“Take the helmet and jacket. I’ll carry him through the air and James can bring the motorbike,” said Dad.

I took the items from the floor and followed behind Dad, who lifted Brendan as if he weighed nothing. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he was sleeping peacefully.

We glided through the night sky faster than any bird could fly and reached the recovery centre within minutes. It was the beginning of September and the summer heat wave was cooling down, sending a crisp breeze through the air.