Awakened (3 page)

Acid still burning my throat, I stumbled to my bedroom, flopped on my bed and buried my face into my pillow. A hollow feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Confusion, dread and anger churned and twisted my insides. If only Grampa would come home. He’d tell me the truth, help me dismiss these crazy thoughts.

Nephilim…demon-hunter…Guardians….

Bran’s words kept ringing in my ears until I thought I’d explode. I hated him. I hated Bran Llyr. How dare he imply that Grampa, my only living relative, kept secrets from me?

But what if he was right? What if Grampa wasn’t an illusionist, but someone with real abilities? A demon hunter. I shook my head. That couldn’t be true. It couldn’t…it couldn’t….

I closed my eyes tight, tried to think calming thoughts. But the turbulent ache in the pit of my stomach spread. It burned across my chest and shot upward. My temples throbbed as the heated blood roared past my ears. In the darkness behind my closed eyelids, tiny lights zoomed and coalesced into larger masses. The orbs collided and exploded, churning the emotions coursing through me.

Stop it, Lil. Stop it right now.

Grampa? Before I could react, something yanked me upright and my back collided with the wall of the trailer. My eyes snapped open. Grampa stood in the doorway of my bedroom with his hands extended toward me, his usually groomed, long, graying hair in disarray, his face a mask of fear. What was he doing? Why couldn’t I move my arms?

“Grampa?”

“Make it stop, Lil.”

Make what stop? I glanced around and realized something wasn’t right. The wind howled outside, whipping the curtains at the open window and making our trailer groan. Jagged lightening speared across the sky, followed by the deep, angry roll of thunder. The lights inside the trailer flickered then went out.

Eyes wide, I strained to see Grampa’s tall figure in the ensuing darkness. Thuds of falling objects came from the kitchen and mingled with the cracking lightening.

“But I’m not doing anything. Is it a thunderstorm? Why can’t I move?” I shouted above the din.

In a blink, Grampa was beside me, kneeling on my bed, gripping my arms. “It’s you,” he yelled back. “You’re upset, but your emotions are not confined to your head. It’s happening outside, too. Will it away.”

I struggled to focus on Grampa’s face, absorb his words, but fear shook my entire body. I squeezed my eyes tight, my teeth rattling. The gale raging outside seemed to kick up a notch, as though it had spawned a life of its own. “What’s happening to me? How do I stop it?”

Take deep breaths…calm down,
Grampa instructed.

Air. In…hold…out. In…hold…out…

No matter how hard I tried, I ended up hyperventilating.

Visualize the opposite of whatever’s happening,
he ordered.

Calm…must be calm. Fear had long since replaced my anger. The trailer creaked as though being ripped apart by giant hands, and Grampa’s fingers dug into my arms, encouraging me, pushing me to take control of my emotions.

Cool blue skies. Stars. Dark valley skies dotted with brilliant twinkling stars.

No dark clouds. No lightening. No wind. Eyes closed tight, I kept visualizing tranquility, listening to the reassuring rhythm of Grampa’s voice in my head.

The ground steadied. My heart rate slowed until I could hear each beat. The exploding lights in my head grew smaller, became orbs again then pinpoint lights. Blank darkness and blissful silence followed.

The lights inside the trailer came back on and shone through my eyelids.

I opened my eyes, studied Grampa’s face. He didn’t smile, but his steady black eyes were calm. I broke his gaze to glance around my room. Clothes, books and anything that wasn’t nailed down littered the floor.

My heart pounded at the destruction. Had I done this? But how? Tears welled in my eyes as my gaze searched Grampa’s face, Bran’s words ringing in my ears.

“What are we?” I whispered.

2. THE REVELATIONS

Grampa’s eyes softened. “
Neterus
.
Devas
.
Titans
.
Avatars
.
Nephilim
. We’ve been called many names by different people throughout history, but few know the truth. We are the Guardians, and we protect humans against evil forces.”

Oh God, Bran was right—Grampa was a demon hunter. A cold knot tightened in my stomach. I couldn’t speak, so I just stared at Grampa and shivered.

He patted my arm. “Why don’t I make us some hot cocoa while we talk?”

I didn’t move, couldn’t move. “So we’re not gypsies?”

“No, sweetheart. A Guardian must assume a new identity every few decades to blend in with humans. I’ve found the gypsies to be the most accommodating of human tribes.”

Apprehension slithered through me like gazillion snakes and my knees trembled as he helped me off the bed. My head swam as I stepped over pencils and books without stopping to pick them up.
Avatars. Titans.
Beings I’d only read about in mythology and fantasy were real? And
my
grandfather was a demon hunter?

“Are we human?” I asked in a whisper.

“We are, and we aren’t.”

I put a shaky hand to my head, fatigue lapping at my senses. “What do you mean?”

“We’re descendants of the Watchers sent to Earth at the beginning of time to guard mankind. They fell in love with human women and their children became a new race, the Nephilim—our forefathers. So, yes, we do have human blood in us. While our forefathers corrupted humans, we chose to continue the work the original Watchers were sent to do.” The skin around his lips creased as he measured every word. “Every now and then, a child is born with the ability to manipulate elements. That child is sent to Earth to train and learn to blend in with humans. He or she becomes a Cardinal Guardian.”

I shook my head and leaned against the wall separating my bedroom from the bathroom. “Sent to earth from where?”

“Xenith, a parallel universe and our home.”

But I wasn’t born in Xenith, which meant I couldn’t be one of them. Or was my birth certificate a forgery? I shook my head, hating the fact that I was beginning to accept this nightmare as the truth. Why should I believe Grampa? He already lied to me for years.

I was angry and miserable and didn’t want to talk anymore. Not to him. “Were you ever going to tell me the truth, Grampa?” The words shot from my mouth against my will.

He stood before me, an arm length from the door leading outside, and rubbed his goatee. “Yes, when you came into your powers. That happens when a child reaches sixteen.” His eyes probed mine. “
You
started hearing my conversations with the other Guardians two weeks ago, didn’t you?”

My eyes widened. “You knew?”

An indulgent smile crossed his lips. “Of course.”

Had he any idea how scared I’d been? “Why didn’t you say something?”

“You weren’t ready.”

“I’m still not,” I yelled at him. “And if I hadn’t shown any powers? What then?”

He frowned and shook his head. “Your case is different, special, because you were born here on Earth and my Flora…your Grandmother was human, a gypsy.”

Thank goodness that wasn’t a lie. “Does that mean you’d never have told me? Ever?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t set the code. Like any society, we have rules and regulations. Without them, we wouldn’t survive or fulfill our destiny. Our existence must be kept a secret. We can’t risk the chance of a leak and end up in some secret government building as lab rats. Humans are very wary of the unknown.”

“Don’t call them humans as if we’re not!” I snapped. As long as Grandma’s blood flowed in my veins,
I
was human.

Grampa grew silent. I hated taking my anger out on him, but I was scared. Would I ever know what it felt like to be normal; to be carefree and do normal things with other kids? My entire life, I’d felt different, an outsider. Now I knew why, yet the knowledge brought me no peace. And to imagine I’d thought the reason was because I could talk to spirits. This was much worse. I was a freak from another dimension. My eyes burned with tears. I wanted to go back to my room, crawl in bed and hope all this was a nighmare. But I couldn’t. Instead, I walked past him and took in the kitchenette/living room area.

The mess there was overwhelming. Pot and pans no longer hung on hooks over the sink. They were scattered all over the floor and the kitchenette table and chairs, along with the colored plastic cups and plates from the cupboards. The fridge door was ajar, bowls of leftovers and jars of food on the floor. Grampa’s usually neat bedroom, visible from my position, was not spared. I could only imagine the chaos outside. Before I could look, he pushed me onto the tan and brown plaid couch.

“Sit. This will take a few seconds.”

He picked up mugs from the floor. “Picked up” wasn’t quite accurate. Mugs lifted off the floor and into his hands. As he filled them with water and placed them in the microwave, pots and pans floated to their nooks above the sink. Cabinets opened, and cups and plates drifted onto shelves. Wipe cloths flew from under the sink to blot spills on the tan carpet, floral wall-paper and the wooden surfaces. From my seat, I could see part of my room. Lotions, books and pencils slid back onto my desk.

Throughout the whole “clean up” progress, Grampa kept glancing my way as though he expected me to…I don’t know…lose it? I’d seen him perform before audiences in the circus and thought his acts were all illusions. Now that I knew they weren’t, I didn’t know how to react. I felt numb.

I studied him like I would an alien. He’d been mother, father and best friend to me all my life. Raised me single-handedly when my mother died, homeschooled me until I was ten and never made me feel like I had to cook, clean or look after him. So why hadn’t I noticed anything to indicate he was different?

For a grandfather, his skin wasn’t wrinkled. His neatly trimmed beard and shoulder-length black hair was sprinkled with little gray, and his black eyes were keen and sharp. At six-foot-three, he walked like a younger man and worked out regularly, running, swimming and personally training me in martial arts. With his fondness for dark pants and full-length coats, scruffy boots and a fedora hat, he looked like a cowboy, not a demon-hunting Cardinal Psi Guardian.

I closed my eyes, took in a breath and exhaled. This was my grandfather, my only living relative and someone I loved. No matter how angry and betrayed I felt, I had to listen to what he had to say.

Ares, what happened?

I jerked as a woman’s voice resounded in my head.

Lil’s powers finally emerged,
Grampa answered, but his face stayed calm, his attention on the can of cocoa powder he was removing from one of the cupboards. He measured scoops into the mugs. I would never have guessed he was communicating with someone. How often did he do this in my presence?

That’s wonderful, your family’s been blessed
, the woman answered.

Thank you, Hsia. Are you back in the valley?

I felt the energy surge and returned. The others are here, too.

How bad is it?
Grampa asked, stirring each drink.

A few fires here and there…debris…an accident or two, but no serious injuries. We’ll take care of things.

I’ll be there in a few minutes to help.

No need to. Take care of the young one.

Thank you, Hsia. Let’s meet at the headquarters in ten minutes.

Who was Hsia? Another Guardian? Were they talking about the damage the storm had caused? I jumped to my feet and rushed to the window. My eyes widened. Our neighbors huddled outside in their pajamas, street lights bathing the fear on their faces, crying children in their arms. Garbage cans and trash littered the ground. In the distance, the shrill wail of ambulance and fire truck sirens mixed with dogs barking.

Dismay washed over me, and I sank back onto the couch, wanting to hide my head under a cushion. How many were injured because of me? “I didn’t mean to do this,” I whispered.

Grampa looked at me. “I know. Don’t worry about it. It will be taken care of it.”

How? I wanted to ask, but my throat closed with grief. I was such a freak.

Grampa pushed hot cocoa into my hands. “Drink it,” he ordered.

The hot liquid scorched my mouth, ran down my throat, but I knew I’d never ever feel warm again. Grampa sat on the couch opposite mine. He held his drink between the palms of his large hands, his expression serious.

“Who’s Hsia?” I asked.

“Aah, you heard our conversation.”

I nodded and drank from my cup, the cocoa calming me. “How come I can hear you so clearly now?”

“Your psi energy expanded, which resulted in the emergence of your powers. All our people can use telepathy and teleport, but those with stronger powers can do a lot more than that. Hsia is one of the counselors at your high school
and
the Cardinal Time Guardian.”

“How can she fix
that
?” I pointed at the window.

“She has control over time. She can move back and forth in time, slow down time or stop it. She can also reverse it when sanctioned by the Council. Take a look outside.”

I rose to look out the window. My jaw dropped. Our neighbors were frozen in place. The expression on their faces would have been comical if the scene wasn’t so creepy. Even more eerie was the utter silence. No flutter of garbage on the ground, no rustling leaves. The sirens and barking dogs had gone quiet, too. My skin tingled as though an electric current shot past me from behind. I turned to face Grampa. His eyes were closed, his arms cutting through the air in slow motion, like conductor directing an invisible choir.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

His eyelids lifted and I gasped. His eyes were white, the iris and the pupil gone. He blinked and smiled, his eyes reverting back to normal. “That was just a little insurance to make sure no one clearly remembers what happened tonight. A strong wind sweeping through the valley is not uncommon, but dry storms can be blogged about or reported in the local news. We don’t want that to happen, so I use my psyche to manipulate people’s perception of what happened. That’s my gift as a Cardinal Psi Guardian. I’m also an empath.”