Altruist (The Altruist Series Book 1) (11 page)

Aliah
, the name turns in my mind and my back stiffens, nerves clinging onto my muscles, refusing to allow me the pleasure of breathing at a normal pace. The knowledge of him feels like I’m being retold a fable from when I was young, and is accompanied by the innate fear that comes when the evil witch enters the landscape of a little girl’s mind.

“Slowly, he began enslaving the very people he was sent to free.” Eliath leans forward. “You see, Cate, our Creator began to realize that nothing can be put into this world without a balanced opposite. And so another man was created, though this time he was ruled by love rather than freedom, with the hope that humanity would follow good rather than evil. And with that, the imprint he began to leave on all who encountered him was filled with loyalty, dedication and a sense of obedience to not only the heavens but to his fellow man as well. He, too, was blessed with abilities, the ability to see a man’s heart and mind, to see his most inner desires, and to show him how to obtain his needs while also fulfilling his purpose in life.

“Upon hearing of the second’s man existence, Aliah called for him at once. Knowing that the two of them were the only beings blessed with abilities that could alter the fate of the world, Aliah tried to turn him into what he himself had become. The two men struggled, wanting each other’s companionship while also helpless to abide by each of their designed messages. A brotherly bond held the two together, though soon they realized that forever they would be gridlocked, disagreeing so wholly on the path of man.”

My nerves hit their peak and I begin picking at my cuticles.

“At this the heavens decided to populate the Earth with more uniquely evolved beings, forever known to one another as Tylins. Blessed from conception, it was the purpose of their creation to live amongst the two men, to understand their ideals and to ultimately choose which side would be best to lead humanity. Millions of Tylins populated the regions and as hundreds of years passed, sides were chosen and lines were drawn. From Aliah, self-proclaimed rebels sprung. Calling themselves The Brotherhood of Nasai, they preached ultimate freedom through self-awareness, true free will as Aliah proclaims it was meant. And from his brother, his adversary, The Guild of Guardians was born. Sworn to protect all of mankind from the evil that comes out of pure selfishness, from the evil that is the Nasai.”

The room goes silent and I sit there, carefully pondering over each word that was spoken, quietly absorbing a history lesson few have ever heard. I pull my hand from Shoshanna’s to try and steady my nerves. My gaze is focused on the floor. “You’re the second man, aren’t you?” The words escape my lips before I can even give myself permission to say them, and I know the answer before he responds. He remains silent until my head tilts up and my eyes meet his.

“Yes, Cate.”

Suddenly I think back to his tale,
the ability to see a man’s heart and mind, I wonder if he knows what I’m thinking now.
And that’s when it hits me, if what he says is true, he knew why I came, he knew exactly what I needed to hear to believe, and I do
. I believe every word.

“Why are you here? What does any of this have to do with me?” My voice cracks with the desperation that’s wracked my soul for months and I turn to search Shoshanna’s face for a sign that she will help me the rest of the way.

“Cate,” he continues, “After sides were formed, great battles ensued and since each Tylin is blessed with a single supernatural ability as well as evolved physicality, the battles were not only ruthless unlike anything the world had seen, but also too evenly matched for either side to walk away truly victorious. For two hundred and eighty years, our people warred against each other to the brink of extinction and so one final key was placed into this world—a Tylin with not one, but three abilities and with that, the advantage to end the wars once and for all. She is the Altruist, the true guardian of man.”

As his story unfolds and the pieces begin to connect, my nerves turn into intent focus and I narrow my eyes that now meet his, hanging on each word that leaves his mouth.

“Upon her arrival into the world, she stopped all Tylin time. Pausing our race until her 18
th
birthday, when her abilities will fully mature and she is able to lead the world into freedom the way it was intended. As somewhat of a failsafe, a clause was created so that should she meet her demise before her 18
th
birthday, her soul will find its way back into life over and over, keeping our race paused until she is able to mature and even the playing field. With each life she leads, the guild has sworn to protect her until she is able to lead our people. As ten human years is equal to that of one Tylin year, we have waited and waited for her to grow into the warrior she is promised to be, our lives paused in the process. This unique fact struck Aliah and he soon realized that as long as the Altruist was never able to see her eighteenth birthday, he—we all—could in theory live forever.”

“Hold on,” I say, “So, none of you can die?”

“Not exactly, we’re still completely susceptible to injury, disease and starvation; only, since the clause was introduced, the aging and reproduction cycles have stopped. And so to keep the natural life cycle paused, Aliah created an elite group of soldiers, assassins with direct orders to murder the Altruist over and over so that he may live forever. You see, mankind is malleable, and the Nasai have found their manipulation is all but too easy. Aliah will put up with the inconvenience of killing a child again and again so that he may control man and hold all the power this world has to offer, a puppet master of sorts. Cate, the dreams, they aren’t dreams—they’re memories. Memories of all the times we’ve come so close and failed.”

Shoshanna begins to cry and a surge of energy comes over me. Suddenly everything was clicking into place, the dreams, and the attacks, how strong I’ve felt. Eliath stands and walks towards us. “You are the Altruist, Cate, and we’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

Chapter 11 — Abel

My black canvas shoes kick at the pebbles beneath my feet. The dirt road to my home in this adopted town is uneven and I nearly trip against a riff in the surface. It’s been over a week since I last spoke to Cate, heard her voice, saw her eyes, and felt her soft skin against mine, and it has left me feeling hollow. Being away from her has always been difficult, but being rejected by her, this is new and I hate it. I want to shake her and demand she stop acting like a child, demand that she remember me, demand that she comes back. We’ve been through this so many times, but always together and now more than ever, more than the centuries spent protecting her from afar, I feel alone, and I am.

I spot a boulder set by the side of the road and lean my back against it. The stone is cold, so cold that it steals the warmth nestled beneath my shirt. All week I have felt myself fly from one extreme to the other, anger and despair. How am I supposed to navigate through life without her, how am I supposed to protect her if she won’t even speak to me? I pull my left wrist towards my face and squint, trying to make out the time on my wristwatch in the fading sun. 8pm. I find myself searching for any excuse to stay out of my parents’ house these days. Seventeen for all of these years and I am still under my parents’ supervision, still claim a single room—in
their
home—a fact that ebbs at my skin, creating a sub-dermal pressure that is becoming too restrictive to ignore.

The air that cascades through these mountains is crisp and the grey, seamless, ever expanding sky is heavy with the threat of snow. I welcome the thought of winter closing in; makes the world a bit quieter, and right now, quiet is what I need.

My legs carry me up the path to this foreign home, my home.
This is my home,
why do I find myself struggling with the concept of a new place, the concept of new memories to be made and old ones forgotten? It doesn’t really matter which mountain range surrounds me, which ocean fills the air with salt, which plain stretches as far as my eyes can grasp. The only thing that matters, the only thing that has ever mattered, is her. Her happiness takes me in and lends itself to my sometimes too serious nature, her hopes and all of the hopes that lie within her, all of my hopes.

I turn the knob, dreading another evening spent alone in my room. Being left to myself only propels the crescendo of self-analysis in my mind, only prolongs the
what if’s
and the
if I had done this instead
.

“I’m home.” My voice sounds distant, even to myself, like it is coming from someone who has seen war and death, someone who has lost too many and saved too few.

“Would you step in here, son?” My father’s voice calls from down the hall. Today is a day I’d like to see the end of and anymore talk of the Nassai will undoubtedly claim more of me than I am willing to offer.

“If it’s all the same, I’d rather just head to bed—”

“Abel?” Cate’s timid voice interrupts me, and my course changes direction. After all of this time, regardless of what she will ever do or say, I will always crave her in a way that I’m not sure she could ever understand. Being responsible for a person’s life and death, over and over will change you. I wish I could pinpoint the exact genetic marker etched deep into my DNA that promised me to her. Even though I can’t see it, even though she can’t see it, I know it’s there because I feel it ache the second her eyes meet mine. I search her face, the fierce anger that occupied it the last time we spoke has now been replaced with a gentle understanding, topped off with a twinge of fear. Glancing at my parents’ faces, I know. I know she knows who I am and who she is—my soul is complete again.

I walk towards her and embrace her in my arms, my body pleading with her to understand just how much I need her. Her arms lock around my shoulder, her face begins to nuzzle into my neck and I keep her there as long as possible. My parents are standing beside us, undoubtedly staring and I don’t care, but I know she does so I reluctantly release her. I keep her hand interlocked in mine, as if to symbolize to all in the room that I am hers.

“What happens now?” Cate’s voice reaches out, small and unsure, urging any of us to help her make the story she’s heard complete.

“We’ve filled you in on quite a bit…” my mother, always the nurturer, says. “I think it may be best if Abel takes it from here, for now, at least.”

At this my hand, clasped around hers, leads her to the front door. I’m not sure what it is that I need to say, or even how to say it, but I do know, that whatever it is, it can’t be said here in my parents’ home.

Chapter 12 — Cate

Abel’s car winds up back roads, through tree lines that cut into the darkness of the sky. His hand hasn’t let go of mine since we left his house, and though a single word hasn’t been uttered between the two of us, I know he is happy we are together, just as I am.

We drive for only fifteen minutes but are already deep into the wooded area to the north of our sleepy city. No light or sound exists except for the roar of the engine. Nothing, total darkness. If I were with anyone else, I may be wary of this situation in general. But I’m not with just anyone—I am with Abel, and I am lucky.

Rounding a bend in the road, the tree line that was so ominous moments ago begins to break and in the shadow of the moonlight I begin to make out a structure in the distance. The tires skid in the dirt as the car comes to a quick stop and Abel walks around to open my door. As I get out, I scan where he has taken me. Tall boulders resting in the earth creates a path spiraling to a center where a modest stone building lies.

“I’ve heard of this place,” I say, as if to discontinue my theme of complete confusion I’ve held onto all night. He releases my hand and I instantly miss his warmth. “Kids from school come up here; they call it ‘the kickback’ and throw parties sometimes. Blake did last year and apparently everyone started hearing rocks hitting one another in the trees and their makeshift bonfire went out. I’m pretty sure everyone thinks it’s haunted or something, at least I haven’t heard of a party up here since.” I laugh nervously and Abel walks a few feet ahead of me, picking up stray branches and tossing them off of the path. At first I think he’s making sure I don’t trip but after I see him repeat the action with branches that aren’t directly in our way I realize that he is doing something else entirely—he’s performing maintenance, like he’s been here often and holds some sort of attachment to the place. I catch a smile running along his face. “Wait…” I say. “Was that you? Up here scaring Blake and my friends?”