Travis’s eyes were round and glazed as he nodded. “Oh yes, a portal. Of course, that’s what we should do. Makes perfect sense. Beam us up, Scotty.”
“Don’t lose it, Travis.” Emma snapped.
Travis’s ire rose but his hysteria lessened. “Just because we dated a couple weeks in high school, it doesn’t mean you know me or can tell me what to do.”
Highly uncomfortable with both the friction between the two of them as well as the discovery that they were once romantically involved, I walked to the back corner of the church and knelt. Focusing, I called forth my will to create a portal.
“Sure it does,” Emma said. “Believe me, dating you for two weeks, I learned all there was to know. You’re just upset you can’t hit the bong to solve this problem like you do everything else.”
After a couple minutes, I turned around. I had to raise my voice to be heard over their bickering. “It takes a great amount of concentration and energy to create a portal. It would be helpful if you could be silent.”
I didn’t mean for the edge in my voice to be so sharp, but I wasn’t used to being around people, much less their conflicts.
Emma threw her hands up. “Shutting up now.”
Travis just folded his arms and glared.
“Thank you,” I said with genuine gratitude then turned back to manifesting my will. This time I made a box shape out of my hands to take us back to the Temple.
My will did not flow. I blinked.
“How’s that portal coming?” Travis called out.
I shrugged my shoulders back, ignoring him, closed my eyes and focused my will again.
Several more minutes passed in silence before Emma chimed in, “How long does this usually take?”
My jaw clenched of its own accord and my back muscles tightened.
She continued, “Do I have time to take a nap or should we be ready to go here shortly?”
I got off my knees and back onto my feet. Irritation pulsed under my skin, a strange, foreign sensation to me. I was so often in alignment with the Light, I rarely knew of external conditions to break my peace.
“It should have formed by now,” I mumbled, reluctant to say it out loud.
“What?” Travis asked.
I spoke louder this time. “The portal should have formed by now. I’m not sure if it’s this place, or if I need more rest….”
Emma took a few steps toward me. “Has this happened before?”
I shook my head.
Travis rocked on his heels and slapped an open hand against a fist. “Can’t get the old juices working there, eh? I feel ya. I mean not me personally, but I’ve had some buddies couldn’t perform when the time came.”
“Travis. Shut. Up.” Emma looked like she was close to punching him again.
I felt as though he were alluding to something else but didn’t know what. From Emma’s reaction, it wasn’t a good implication.
Emma sighed, turning to me, “Well, we can’t stay here all night. It’s getting colder every minute, and there are only so many things we can break and set on fire in here before we bring the whole church down on us.”
Trying to focus on what could be done, and not ruminating on my failure to create a portal, I nodded in agreement. “Yes, we must find safe shelter for the night.”
Take her back to the building you were staying in. Get the blanket, and offer her one of those wines you bought….
I cut off my own thoughts. This was no time for fantasy. My priority was the Propheros, not sharing a meal with this adorable yet alluring girl.
Lost in thought about where we should take shelter quickly devolved into self-recriminations about not being able to conjure a portal.
