They hadn’t ever been through the yellow door, so she was curious what was behind it. Alix turned the handle and was a little surprised when she saw a hallway that led to another door. They went to the next door and entered a huge room. There were hospital beds and curtains everywhere. There were also dozens of people in scrubs running around tending to people in those beds. It looked like something from a movie during a war.
Ruth was just suddenly there in front of them. “Alix, I need you to help heal as many people as possible, as quickly as you can. There are more injured people and not enough Healers to help.”
“What happened?”
“I will explain everything later, I just need you to start helping the injured now. When you’ve healed someone cover them with the green blanket that’s under the bed. Someone will transfer them to a place to rest and bring in someone else who needs to be healed.”
Alix nodded and Ruth left to go organize other Healers. She didn’t waste any time and went straight to the person closest to her. It was a woman about her mom’s age with dark skin and short black hair. All Alix could think was how beautiful her face should have been. Half of it was perfect, but the other half was badly burned. She was glad the woman was unconscious because otherwise she would have been in a lot of pain.
Closing her eyes to get rid of any distractions, she put her hands over the woman’s face. Since Alix’s magic had gotten stronger, she had no trouble healing the burns on the woman. When that was done, she checked for further injuries by placing her hands just above the woman’s body. Finding nothing else she had Ben get the blanket out from under the bed. He placed the bright green blanket over the woman, and they went to the next person.
This time it was a man with several broken bones. He healed him and he thanked her as Ben put the green blanket on him.
Alix continued like this for several hours. Ben helped with the blankets and brought her food and something to drink when she needed it. Of all the Healers, she was the only one who could continue without leaving to replenish her natural energy. At one point she saw Mike healing people and Karen helping him.
As she was working, she noticed several red blankets on people but didn’t have time to ask about them. Her only focus was on healing as many people as she could.
Eventually, Ruth came to her and told her she could stop now. The worst of the injured had been healed. Alix knew it was time for the explanation as to how all these people got hurt.
Ben and Alix followed Ruth out of the hospital and back into the room of rooms. When they got back to the main floor of the house Alix noticed it was dark out. Checking her watch, she was shocked to see it was almost 10:00 at night. She’d been down there the entire day.
Ruth led them to the den where everyone else was watching the TV. Alix saw the news was on and stopped to listen.
“The worldwide bombings are believed to be the work of several unrelated terrorist groups. Authorities have no way to link them and no one is taking responsibility. Hundreds of people have been injured and at least twenty-five people are dead. We’ll bring you more information as it becomes available.”
The news announcer started talking about something else and Alix stopped listening.
“I’m assuming this was the work of the Grynn,” she said to Ruth.
“Yes. Last night there were over a hundred small bombings across the world. All the victims were Nykara. They were all very precise and no humans were harmed. What you saw today was the result of those bombings.”
“But what was the point?” Alix asked.
“We don’t know yet. We have teams out looking for the Grynn responsible, but you know how hard they can be to track down.”
“Were they right about how many people died?”
“Yes. So far twenty-five Nykara were killed in the attacks. But thanks to you a lot more were saved.”
Alix thought back to her day in the hospital and realized something. “The red blankets, were those the ones that didn’t make it?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Ruth told her.
“We need to stop them Ruth,” Alix said. “I know you know that, but this is just getting way out of hand. They’re doing more damage to us than we are to them. Spread the word to all Nykara that they need to put protective measures in place where they live and work. If we can’t catch the Grynn we need to at least stop them.”
“I will do that, Alix, but just remember not all Nykara are as powerful as the ones you know. Some of their protections won’t stop the Grynn,” Ruth told her.
“That’s all we’ve got for now Ruth. If we can stop some of them that’s better than none.”
“I’ll make some calls,” Ruth said, and left the room.
Only then did Alix take the time to notice who else was in the den. Her mom and dad, Natalie and Rick, Karen and Mike, as well as Sara and Brayden.
“Has anyone checked on Shay and her family?” Alix asked.
“Yes,” Natalie said. “We were over there first thing this morning and we’ve already protected their house.”
“Thank you,” Alix said relieved. “What about everyone else here in Sunset Creek?”
“Everyone here is accounted for and fine,” Natalie told her.
“Good. Now, can someone tell me more about these attacks?”
It was Rick who spoke first. “To the best of our knowledge hundreds of small bombs were set off at Nykara homes and businesses all over the world last night. We’re talking ordinary Nykara, not council members or anything like that. In each case anywhere between one and five people were targeted. A few escaped unharmed but hundreds were injured.”
“Are we talking real bombs or Grynn energy balls?” she asked.
“Real bombs. We’re guessing they wanted to make it look like terrorists attacking random targets. Our Warriors are telling us that each bomb was the same. Small, made of easily to acquire ingredients and detonated with a cell phone.”
“So, they could have been put at each location at any time and detonated when the time was right?” Alix wanted to know.
“Yes,” Rick told her.
Alix knew this wasn’t good, but had no idea what to do about it. As she was thinking she realized how hungry she was. Ben had brought her little bits to eat throughout the day, but with all the energy she’d used it wasn’t enough. She took Ben’s hand and went to the kitchen. They found some leftovers in the fridge and heated them up. Neither of them said a word as they ate, both thinking about the day’s horrific events.
Knowing there was nothing else for her to do at the moment she let everyone know she was going to bed. She was mentally exhausted from seeing so many people senselessly hurt. Ben kissed her good night and started to go to his room.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” she asked him.
“Of course. Just let me change and I’ll be right back.”
Alix went into her room, put on her pajamas, and crawled into bed. Ben was back a few minutes later. He got in with her and pulled her close to him. She relaxed for the first time since Ben woke her up in the white room.
Chapter 29
Alix woke up wrapped in Ben’s arms. She’d slept all night with no dreams, so she felt rested. Her movement woke Ben up.
“Good morning,” he said sleepily.
“Good morning,” she said back with a smile.
“Did you sleep okay?”
“I slept great,” Alix told him. “But we should probably get up and see if there’s any news on the Grynn.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs,” Ben said, and got out of bed.
Alix watched him leave her room then went to shower. About twenty minutes later, she was in the kitchen making her coffee. Just as she was taking her first sip Ben and Ruth walked in.
“Hey Ruth,” she said, “any news?”
“Nothing good. There were more attacks last night. Thankfully, not as many and no one was killed, but even one attack is too many.”
“We need to do something Ruth,�
�� Alix said setting her cup down. “I’ve had enough of the Grynn hurting us. I need to get out there.”
“No. Now that we know they have pictures of you it’s not safe for you to leave,” Ben told her.
“Then I’ll change my appearance,” she said. “I can’t sit here while our people are continued to be attacked by the Grynn.”
“I understand that,” Ruth said, “But we have no idea where they’ll strike next or even if they will at all. I’m sure this was a way to lure you out Alix. We can’t take that chance.”
Alix knew Ruth was right, but she hated not being able to do anything. She wasn’t a fan of feeling useless.
“So, I’m just supposed to sit around and do nothing?” she said to both of them. “There has to be something I can do from here.”
“You can go back to the hospital room if you want,” Ruth suggested. “The worst of the injuries have been healed but I know our Healers could use a break.”
Alix nodded. She wanted to be out fighting the Grynn, but if that was the only way she could help then that’s what she’d do.
“Can I take some cookies down to the Healers and patients?” she asked Ruth.
“Sure. In fact, I think that would be a welcome treat. I have to check in with the other Council members. I’ll see you later.” Ruth took her coffee and left the kitchen.
Alix finished her coffee and started to get out the ingredients for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Normally, she didn’t use magic to bake but today she wanted to make a lot in a hurry, so she used her magic this time. Thirty minutes later, she hoped she had enough cookies for everyone.
Ben went with her to the hospital room. She was thankful it wasn’t as chaotic as yesterday. They handed out cookies and talked to the patients. Most of them were shocked that the Kaelneth was visiting them, but Alix wanted them to know that she was no better than them and was willing to help when needed.
About three hours later, they ran out of people to give cookies to. They left the rest for the Healers and headed back to the main part of the house. Alix had enjoyed meeting everyone, but was still angry that they’d been hurt.
Instead of going back to the first floor, Alix went to her room.
“I need to write in my journal,” she told Ben. “You can stay with me if you want. Unless there’s something else you need to do?”
“I always want to be close to you,” he said with a smile, that made her smile in return.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said.
“Luckily, you’ll never have to find out,” Ben told her. “Is it okay if I turn on the TV?”
“Sure. Watch whatever you want.”
Ben got comfy on the couch while Alix went to her desk and got out her journal. It had been almost two weeks since she’d written in it and a lot had happened.
****
Feb 12
So much has happened since I last wrote anything. We went to China, figured out how to make the contacts, and then were attacked by Grynn at the Great Wall. It really scared me when I figured out they were looking for me specifically. The last thing I want to happen is to be held prisoner again by François or Victor. I think Victor is a little bit crazy and I never want to be at his mercy again. The only thing good about that encounter with the Grynn was that I learned I was able to change things about my appearance. It saved my life and I should be practicing how to do it faster in case I need to do it again.
I’m still upset about Sonya’s death and I still feel it’s somehow my fault. Her funeral was hard, but beautiful. I’ll admit I was nervous to meet her family, but they welcomed me like I was part of their family. I can’t really describe how happy I was to see her in my last vision dream. She seems at peace and it helped me to know that. But it was her message that I can’t stop thinking about. She also told me to Beware the Essus. The only problem is that I still have no idea what an Essus is and there’s no reference to it in the white room either. I can feel how important it is, but I can’t seem to find a way to figure it out. I just hope I do before it’s too late.
It’s only been about a day since the bombing attacks, but I still don’t understand the reason for them. If the Grynn were looking for me they had to know it would be impossible for me to go to all the attack sites, so what were they hoping to accomplish? If it was just general chaos and hurting Nykara then they did that, but I have a feeling there was something more to it. François doesn’t do anything without a reason. I can feel something bigger coming; I just don’t have a clue what it is.
Now this next part is going to sound silly and selfish considering the current situation, but Valentine’s Day is only two days away! I’ve never had a reason to look forward to it before but now that I have Ben, I’m kind of excited about it. I know we can’t go on a real date but I’m hoping we get to do something. He hasn’t mentioned anything so I’m trying not to get my hopes up but it’s hard. I need something normal to happen right now, so I can still feel like the teenager I am and not always the Chosen One.
****
Alix closed her journal and put it away. She went over to the couch, sat down next to Ben and put her head on his shoulder.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just want to do something to stop the Grynn. What good is being the Chosen One if I can’t go out there and fight?”
“What good is the Chosen One if she gets captured by the Grynn?”
“I know, I know,” Alix said. “I just hate sitting here while they’re out there hurting our people. There has to be something we can do, other than visit injured Nykara.”
“I’m sure if Ruth thinks of something for you to do, she’ll tell you. On a good note, Sara and Brayden are going to make us dinner tonight,” Ben told her.
“That’s good. It will give everyone something to look forward to. It’s been a rough weekend.”
“Have you talked to Shay at all?” he asked her.
“No. It’s been so crazy I haven’t even hardly touched my phone. But I’m going to make sure she’s here for Sara’s dinner tonight. She had to miss it last time and I don’t want her to miss it again.”
“Good idea, we know how much she likes food,” Ben said smiling.
She texted Shay then went back to watching TV. About an hour later, there was a knock on the door. Alix opened it to find Ruth on the other side.
“Hey, is everything alright?” Alix asked.
“Yes, but you need to turn your TV to channel 138,” Ruth told her.
Ben immediately switched it to that channel. Alix frowned when she saw François on the screen and heard his voice.
“GRN Enterprises is deeply saddened by the recent bombing attacks on innocent families. To do our part we are going to donate a million dollars to the families affected and I encourage all other companies to do the same. We need to take care of our own, but most importantly we need to find and stop those responsible for these atrocious attacks. Thank you.” François smiled at the camera and Alix couldn’t help but feel that it was meant for her.
The announcer started talking about him being the CEO of GRN Enterprises, but she tuned it out.
“What is he up to?” she asked out loud. “He’s the one responsible for the bombings.”
“Anything is possible when it comes to François,” Ruth said.
“Where was that piece filmed?” Ben asked. “Maybe that can give us a clue as to where he is.”
“I’ll get someone on that right away,” Ruth said. “I just wanted Alix to see it first.”
Ruth left the room and Alix looked at Ben. He was clearly as confused as she was.
“I really don’t see what the point of that was,” she said. “The world already thinks he’s a good guy businessman. What does he gain by doing this?”
“I don’t know Alix, unless it’s just to get under your skin. He can’t get to you personally, so he’ll get to you on TV. Who knows with him.”
“I hate him,” she said. “We need to destroy
him before he destroys the Nykara.”
“But no one has been able to find a trace of him or Victor. Hopefully him being on TV will give us the clue that we need.”
Alix hoped that was the case, but knew that he probably covered his tracks well. She didn’t think they would find François unless he wanted to be found.
Chapter 30
As Alix had suspected, François being on TV was of no help to them. The TV station had been sent the video via untraceable email and there was nothing in the video that helped identify where he might have been. They were right back to where they started.
Dinner on Sunday was a welcome break for everyone. Sara and Brayden made a huge meal and it was enjoyed by the entire household. Shay was extra happy that she didn’t have to miss the dessert like last time.
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. They said goodbye to Sara and told Brayden to take care of her. Alix could tell the two of them were getting closer and that made her smile. Sara was a good friend and she could use some happiness in her life.
Shay and Alix went to her room to hang out. Ben told them to have some girl time and went to his room. It had only been two days since they’d seen each other but to Alix it felt like a week.
“So,” Alix started, “anything new with you and Logan?”
At the mention of Logan’s name, Shay smiled. “I’d like to say yes, but no, nothing new to tell you. I still like him and he’s still a little shy.”
“That sucks,” Alix told her. “Give it time and I’m sure he’ll come around.”
Shay smiled and Alix knew that smile. “What have you done?” Alix asked her.
“I might have gotten him a Valentine’s gift when we were in London.”
Alix laughed. “What did you get him?”
“Just a t-shirt of one of the video games he plays.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Alix said grinning. Then the look on her face changed.
“What’s the matter?” Shay asked.
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