Read an Excerpt
Intuition
PROPHESIES Awakening of the Soul
By Daisy Torres-Petrovich
Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2012 Daisy Torres-Petrovich
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-1628-9
Chapter One
Flyer
Always intuitive
Grasping for adventure
Unexpected encounter
Diverted my direction
To new horizons
To make peace with nature
with a native hunter
tracking my path.
If the crow tells you
it's through your blood line,
trust.
She won't lie.
You will create and lead
the greatest mind.
Simple facts can be, at times, difficult to understand. What can I say? It could be worse.
Life is simple. Follow your instincts and you'll be fine, my grandmother used to say. If only I could trust myself.
* * *
I remember being stuck in traffic because of a massive road construction project. It was sunny and my air conditioner was not working properly. Windows down, I was listening to the news. "In other news at this hour, a tornado touched down near the Black Hills in South Dakota. No fatalities have been reported. The twister was spotted in the Lakota Reservation area. Experts have been unable to explain how this was possible with the present weather conditions. Some of the local people attribute this event to ancient Native American rituals that ..." I changed the radio station from the news to some music. Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night was playing when I finally arrived at the parking lot. I became frustrated going through aisle after aisle of cars, waiting for someone to pull out. I kept circling until I finally saw someone pull out of a parking space. I squeezed in, gathering my belongings, and dashed to the Science Building. I ran through the halls—like all hell was loose—to my sister's archeology class. As I was approaching the lecture room, I heard Professor Dunn say,
"We will post the information for those who might be interested." He gestured toward the doors, "It will be a great experience. Class dismissed."
I peeked in, trying to locate my sister, Ana. She met my searching eyes and shook her head side to side in disapproval. My heart sank when I saw her disappointment. I raced to her side and squeezing her, "I am really, really sorry. I can't believe I missed your presentation. I owe you big time!"
"Yes you do," she replied with a grin.
At that moment someone called my name.
"Mia. Over here." It was Rocio. She and I have been friends since middle school and she was hooked on Earth sciences, just like my sister.
"Hi Rocio!" I said as she handed my sister some notes. "I know what you are going to say. I ..." As I paused to take a deep breath, holding it for five seconds and exhaling slowly, Rocio said,
"Don't worry. Professor Dunn taped it." She twitched her lips in a mocking smile. "You really need to take a yoga class or something Mia. You are a bundle of nerves lately. What's going on?"
"I don't know, but it's not PMS," I replied firmly.
"Yes. Your mood swings are driving me crazy. It's bad enough feeling frustrated, let alone feeling what you are feeling. It's so unfair ..." Ana was very outspoken about our emotional connection. Rocio was used to hearing about it and she just chuckled,
"I'm so glad I don't have a twin." Changing the subject eagerly, she asked me,
"Did you hear about the Summer Field Research packet to South Dakota?"
"Is that what he was referring to at the end of class?"
"Yes. It sounds great. Let's see how much it is." Rocio sounded excited. We walked together as she continued. "By the way, Albert asked for you. Are you in trouble, again?"
My brother, Albert acted as if he were our father, always giving my sister and I orders and is way too overprotective. We could not date a guy unless he approved. There were times when he would embarrass us in front of others, just to let them know that he was "in charge" of our lives. He was six feet tall and weighed two hundred pounds of solid muscle and loved to intimidate those who dared to get too close to us. The problem was that he was mistaken. He wasn't in charge of our lives. My sister and I were and I wondered what he was up to, now.
"No," I immediately replied. "He saw Joseph talking to me last week and told my mom that he saw me making out with some guy. We were just talking." I was furious, remembering Albert smirking at me as my mom lectured me about the importance of our reputation. "He's going to pay for that." I said through clenched teeth.
"Don't say that. He is your brother. I wish I had someone who cared for me like that." Rocio said with a distant longing in her voice.
"He's a jerk," Ana answered while she kept looking for something in her bag.
"Oh. That's right. I forgot that you have a crush on him. That's why you always defend him." I was pleased to see my friend's cheeks slowly turn scarlet. "You see, Annie?"
Ana looked up, glancing at Rocio's face, measuring it, and started to laugh. "You are right, Sis."
Rocio just smiled. "It's not my fault! He is so handsome ..."
"Ewwww!" My sister and I replied at the same time.
"There must be something missing in that brain of yours," I added.
"No doubt about it." Ana agreed.
"Could you two be nice? Or I'll leave ..."
"Hey, we were just kidding," I said immediately, rolling my eyes.
"I saw that Mia. Don't you roll your eyes at me." Rocio pretended to be angry. "I'm going to check the flyer." She stomped out to the hall. Ana and I followed her, giggling.
We stopped in front of the large bulletin board that was flooded with papers. Flyers advertising the upcoming theater festival, mingled with test results from Professor Dunn's classes. A bright orange flyer caught our eye immediately. It read:
Discovery Travel Experienced in archeology/paleontology guided excursions. You will get:
1) Hotel accommodations, transportation, 2 meals and a snack per day for the length of stay (2 weeks).
2) Visit the major monuments and interesting sites of the area.
3) A chance to meet celebrity paleontologist during excavation visit. Spaces are limited (20) at a special rate ($2,500.00) Dates: June 16th-June 30th. Call: 312-888-8888
"This sounds great! Don't you think? I heard the scenery is amazing." Rocio's eyes were wide with excitement, just like my sister's. Annie continued Rocio's rambling,
"Yes. Think about it, The Badlands with rocks approximately 66 to 68 million years old, formed in the upper reaches of a delta. I can't wait to see those layers." She hardly stopped to breathe, "The Black Hills which are considered sacred and mysterious, Mount Rushmore with the Presidents' faces—."
"—oh and of course the Crazy Horse Monument. Maybe we'll discover a complete specimen and become famous, just like Sue Hedrickson!" Rocio interjected
Rocio's and Ana's enthusiasm was contagious. They could talk for hours if you let them.
"I guess it could be interesting to see fossils from the Lakota Formation," I responded thoughtfully. Even though it was not my major, I happened to know plenty about Earth Science because of their fixation with it. They both looked at me with shocked faces and broke into laughter.
"Look who's an expert on Earth Science now," my sister said amused, glancing at Rocio.
Rocio responded still laughing, "It is contagious, isn't it?"
We continued talking about the excursion in the car on our way home. Rocio only lived two blocks from us. My sister and I took turns driving to college to save money and to help save the environment. Rocio rode with us as well. The more we talked about the expedition, the more excited we became, by the time we dropped off Rocio, our minds were set on the trip. We decided to call and make our reservations as soon as possible. My sister and I had saved some money working part- time at the local Target store as cashiers. Even though my parents were in a comfortable economical position, they encouraged us to become independent, self-reliant people. That is why they showed no concern when my sister and I decided to apply for a job.
As we walked in our home, my mother was working on some lesson plans. She was a third grade bilingual teacher. She lifted up her face from her pile of papers and smiled.
"Hi girls."
"Hi Mom. Bendición,
"My sister and I always greeted her the same way.
She always responded by giving us a kiss and replying, "Dios me las bendiga." She gazed at us suspiciously, "So, how was your day?"
"Better than yesterday," Ana responded giving me a glance.
"Well. Soon you'll be on vacation." She sat back down. She looked exhausted but content with herself. She had lost fifty pounds in the past six months. She gained more energy and looked younger.
My male friends noticed the change, and her curves had a major effect on their hormones. They would flirt with her, making my mother smile and shake her head.
"You know? It's funny that you mentioned vacation. Ana and I were just thinking about our summer and we came across an opportunity for us to go on an excursion sponsored by our university." At that, Ana added,
"Yes. It will be a great experience, especially for me. We will be at an excavation site, looking for fossils and meeting real paleontologists. Rumor has it, that even Paul Sereno and Gabrielle Lyon will be part of it."
"Paul Sereno? The dinosaur guy at the University of Chicago?" my mother asked amused by our expressions of excitement.
"Yes. Mom. The same one. I mean, if I want to be taken seriously as a paleontologist, I have to do fieldwork, and be part of it, not just sit in a lecture room getting information from dusty books. I have to live it," Ana spoke passionately, using her whole body to explain what she couldn't with mere words. My mother tried to hold a chuckle that escaped from her.
"Well, what do you need? I see your minds are set already." My mother raised her eyebrows and twitched her lips. "Are you both going?"
"Of course," Ana and I responded in unison. She laughed at our response.
"Do you have enough money?"
"I think so. We have saved enough," I answered.
"Well, then. Just let me know when it is so your father and I can make plans of our own. I don't know if your brother would like to join us." She looked a little disappointed. "I was hoping to go together, the five of us, to Hawaii ..."
"I'm sorry. But we want to try this on our own. We are nineteen years old. It's time to cut the umbilical cord, Mom," Ana said and our mother just sighed.
"You're right. Soon you two will make me a grandma. Oh, no! I hope not too soon ..."
"Mom, please. Don't say that. We are still too young for that. We have to have fun first," Ana said.
"We need to go on adventures, mom," I said overdramatically, putting my wrist against my forehead while Ana and Mom rolled their eyes.
Chapter Two
Crow
Privacy was a precious commodity I had been craving lately. Luckily, one of the few things my sister and I did not share was a bedroom. It was my special place where I could feel unique. Our taste in decoration was totally different. My sister's posters of fossils and hip hop music singers covered her walls. She also had a miniature collection of bones of different prehistoric mammals that could give any child endless nightmares. I preferred pictures of different landscapes like waterfalls, forests, canyons and grasslands. I also enjoyed looking at my collections of ballet figurines as well as horses and unicorns.
Once in my room, I laid face down on my bed. There was a strange feeling in the air and I could not grasp where it came from or what it meant. After few minutes, I reached to open the drawer of my night table. I yanked out my journal and started to write:
You are in my dreams
But I cannot touch you.
Your face hunts me
My soul knows you.
My heart cries out
For you to soothe
The pain concealed
In a corner of my soul.
It didn't make any sense to write those lines. I tried to concentrate on finding the source of these strange feelings but my senses were not cooperating. Frustration was emerging and I decided to stop writing. I closed my journal and threw it back in the drawer. I shook my head to avoid thinking of what could be just nonsense. I walked toward my mirror and stared at my reflection. I surely was a different person from the one I used to be in high school. My hair's black velvet color was opaque. My light-brown eyes seemed darker. The darkness under my eyes was there too as a reminder of my sleepless nights. Lately I had difficulty falling back asleep after having one of those vivid and extremely action-packed dreams. There was something different about the last time I had one. Right when I was about to find the answer to the riddle that allowed me to escape that world, something seemed to pull me back—to prevent me from succeeding. I would wake up in a cold sweat, trembling. I tried to erase the memory of that horrific experience by reading love stories and pretending that I was that great dame in need of a rescuer. I would fantasize about joining a great adventure with Mr. Perfect and his unstoppable crew. I visualized him like a pirate or a knight—free to make choices untroubled, with no one to challenge him. His face and body were worthy of admiration like a Greek's mythological god. His tan skin and black hair produced a curious contrast to his light blue eyes. His body fit but not too muscular, and his low-husky voice was irresistible. All of these attributes were emphasized by his gentlemanlike manners. Yes! The perfect man for me ...
I walked away from my dresser after gathering my night gown and decided to fix myself a bubble bath. I submerged and let the warm water slowly soothe me to a point of total relaxation but I began to drift away.
* * *
My eyes were out of focus for few seconds. Little by little they began to adjust and to my surprise, I saw a spectacular view right in front of me. I was surrounded by mountains of rock, a canyon to be exact. The reddish/golden brown colors of the side of the mountain-like rock were magnificent. I was curious about its lines of time encased in its strata. Wow! Thousands of years recorded on them. I noticed some fossils encased in them—silent—waiting to be unearthed. I was about to touch them when I sensed someone behind me. I turned around and gasped as a giant crow with a twenty foot wing span stood a mere ten feet from me. I couldn't understand why I didn't feel afraid. Maybe it was the way she looked at me with humanlike eyes, or because I could hear her thoughts.
"What brought you here, little lynx?" the crow asked. I hesitated.
"I am not sure what I'm searching for. Can you help me?" I had no idea why I would ask such a thing to an oversized talking crow.
"Allow your soul to find the mountain lion and he will guide you. Dreams will bring you knowledge. It is essential to your blood line. Protect it. Do not underestimate it."
"I'm not sure what you are telling me. What do you mean by my blood line? Could you please explain?" I asked.
"Valuable offspring will come from you. It is imperative for you to trust mountain lion for his future is linked with yours."
Suddenly the crow started to flap its wings, getting ready to take off.
"How can I find this mountain lion?"
"You will when you see your soul through his eyes. We will meet again, little lynx," she promised as she took off heading west.
* * *
I heard my mother's voice calling me. I opened my eyes, confused. She called me once more and I realized that I had fallen asleep in the bathtub. "I'm taking a bath!" I shouted and took a deep breath. It had been a dream. What a crazy dream! I got out of the tub, wrapped myself in a towel, and then hurried to grab my journal to jot down some notes. "Who knows? Maybe I can start documenting how I might be losing my mind." I said to myself.
The next day after breakfast, I called Rocio and asked her to come over to discuss the details of the trip. By the time she arrived, Ana and I had made our reservations online. She was ecstatic. We went through a list of toiletries such as makeup, lotions, shampoo, and other feminine products. Rocio was rambling like always.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Intuition by Daisy Torres-Petrovich Copyright © 2012 by Daisy Torres-Petrovich. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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