Rise of Xavia

by Tara Chau

  “Shhhh,” I hush. “It’s alright. I’m here. No one’s going to hurt you.”

  As if he can hear me, Gabe instantly relaxes, making me smile nervously. I go to sit down on the chair, waiting in case he stirs again. After ten minutes, I stumble to a stand and limp to the curtain, drawing it back.

  “Come back?” I hear a husky voice call from behind me.

  I turn around to find Gabe looking at me worriedly, still groggy from sleep. I nod and smile reassuringly. “I’ll be back.”

  * * *

  I arrive at school five minutes early. I had planned to go around to all the classes I missed and collect all the work I missed, but that was before Lucien confronted me.

  “Good morning, pip-squeak,” he says with a genuine smile.

  I peer at him, trying to decipher which Lucien I’m talking to. The Lucien that used to be my best friend or the Lucien that Gabe says is monstrously different. Right now, he seems okay. Nothing bad appears to be going on behind his mysterious green eyes.

  “How are you, Lucy?” I say with an uneasy smile.

  “Not too bad. I’ve been looking for you,” he admits.

  “Oh yeah?” I humour.

  “Yep, I wanted to talk to you without what’s his name glaring at me,” he says, sounding vaguely annoyed.

  “Um, you mean Gabe?” I ask. I know that Gabe doesn’t like me talking to Lucien, and frankly, I’m not too keen on hanging around for much longer.

  Lucien has changed. He’s not the innocent little boy I used to know anymore. Then again, I should have guessed it would be different if we ever were to meet again. I just never thought that he would have changed this much.

  “Yeah, that’s his name. What’s his deal? It’s like he thinks you need a personal bodyguard. Has he ever heard of personal space?” He rants.

  “Gabe is my friend,” I say defensively. “Honestly, I feel closer to him right now than I do with you.”

  “Is that right?” he says coldly. “Well, where is this, Gabe? I didn’t see him all last week, and now he’s skipping another? Some friend, I don’t think he is a very good influence on you, Dianna.”

  “It’s none of your business why he is away. Although I can assure you that he is a plenty good influence on me,” I spit back.

  “Well, where has my old friend gone? You used to be so quiet and gentle. Now you’re getting up in my face,” he says, mildly amused. Not what I’m going for.

  “I could say the same for you,” I answer.

  I then turn around and stalk off towards class. It is a bit hard to make an effective slash dramatic exit when I’m limping. Damn.

  Class is, as usual, boring and dragging. During lunch, I walk around slowly, trying not to show off my limp, collecting my unfinished work. Three sheets of math, one essay and a research task on the viola, all due next Tuesday, exactly one week away. I’m on my way to the last class for the day when Anne comes running down the hall.

  “Di! Dianna. Oh my god, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages,” she says, puffing. “Have you seen Gabe yet?”

  “Yes,” I say with a small smile, it’s good to see Anne at school. “I missed school yesterday and spent the day with him. We watch a whole bunch of movies.”

  “Oh god, please tell me it wasn’t Star Wars?” she says with a worried glance.

  “The one and only,” I say with a chuckle.

  “Way to make a good impression, Gabe,” she mumbles.

  “I’m going to the Sanctuary after school. I’m meeting his parents.” I say uncomfortably.

  “Woah, you two move fast,” she says, sounding impressed and then nudges me slightly.

  I laugh awkwardly, “No. I’m just helping him fill them in on the events that went down over the last week and a bit.” I say.

  Suddenly her expression goes dead serious. “So, you know?”

  “About the Skile? That would be a yes,” I confirm.

  “Gods, we have to find a way to get it off him,” she says, sounding exasperated.

  “He can’t go anywhere until he is healed. We’ll go sometime next week,” I say.

  “Agreed,” she says confidently.

  “I have to get to class. I’ll call you later.” I give her a tight hug and start the slow, limping walk toward class.

  “Hey!” Anne comes running up beside me, looking concerned. “What happened? Why are you hurt?”

  Damn.

  “Well, this sucks. I thought I was hiding it rather well.” I say with a sigh.

  “Not to the trained eye,” she replies. “Now spill.”

  “I attempted the twenty-metre jump today,” I whisper excitedly.

  “Are you crazy?” she shrieks.

  “Just look on the bright side. I didn’t break any bones.” I say, smiling proudly.

  “My god, you can’t do that without an instructor. Some Protectors train for months before they can attempt that, and they still break multiple bones!”

  “Well, I didn’t. It only took me fifteen minutes before I could stand, an accomplishment.”

  “I’m so telling Gabe,” she says madly.

  “Oh, please don’t,” I beg. “Then I really could be in danger of dying.”

  “Yeah, and he will make it hurt,” she says, pleased with herself.

  A realisation bloomed inside my mind, and I smile. “He wouldn’t be able to catch me. He is stuck to that bed.”

  “Oh, trust me, when Gabe is motivated to do something, he will do it,” she warns.

  “Well, I guess he’ll get a taste of my new skills,” I say confidently as I walk into history, leaving Anne extremely pissed off behind me.

  * * *

  “You look like you’ve had one hell of a day,” Gabe says as I slip into his make-shift room. He has a book resting on his lap and a glass of weirdly coloured water beside him.

  “Let’s just say, school isn’t the same without you,” I sigh. “Where are your parents?”

  “They arrived at nine am, spent two hours with me, then went to do business. My mum should be back in about ten minutes,” he says, smiling.

  I slowly walk over to the chair, trying extremely hard not to show Gabe my limping leg.

  “So, what is the story? Am I not supposed to tell her about the Skile?” I ask.

  “Alright,” he starts. “I was captured by rogue vamps. They knocked me out. When I woke up, I heard them talking about The Xavia. I escaped, and they tracked me down, then stabbed me in the stomach. That’s when you and Anne found me.”

  “Okay,” I say with a smile. “Plans for tonight?”

  “Um, my plans for the rest of the week consist of reading, watching movies, and sleeping,” he says with an annoyed smile.

  I nod my head and attempt another question. “How long are your parents here for?”

  “They leave tonight, taking a portal straight back to Maline. But they’ll be back on Saturday,” he says.

  “Gabe-” I start.

  “Gabriel, is the girl here yet?” A high smooth voice comes from behind me.

  I turn around, watching as a stunning woman appears from the other side of the curtain. She has the same amazing ember eyes as Gabe, but her hair is a mousy blond. I wonder what Gabe’s real hair colour is. She and Gabe share the same nose and the same mouth, then she smiles at me, and I now know where Gabe inherited his charm. She wears a tight navy-blue dress, thin black eyeliner, and her hair is pinned up in a loose bun. Gabe’s mum is a little taller than Gabe himself. I have to look up at her to see her face. She blushes lightly as she looks down at me, embarrassed to have called me the girl.

  “Hello, you must be Dianna,” she says sweetly.

  “And you must be Gabe’s mum, Melisa,” I say with the brightest smile I can muster. “I’ve heard so much about you,” I say to Gabe’s surprise.

  “Good things, I hope,” she says.

  “I wouldn’t hear it any other way.” I laugh.

  Ca
ll me a pushover, so what? She laughs along with me and walks over to stand at the bottom of Gabe’s bed. “I like her,” she says to Gabe.

  “Mum.” he groans.

  “I thought that you were just being a typical seventeen-year-old boy when you said that she was gorgeous. But I guess I raised my son well.” she carries on.

  I blush at her comment. Gabe told me that he thinks I am beautiful, but the fact that he told his mother…

  “What are your hobbies, darling?” she asks me.

  I look up at her and stand up, only to then sit back down on the edge of Gabe’s bed. “Art, although I wouldn’t call it a hobby. It’s more like a passion.” I reply.

  “That’s amazing that you know what you love. Do you have plans for the future?” she asks.

  I shake my head thoughtfully. “I don’t.”

  “Well, that’s alright, not many kids do at your age,” she speaks.

  “But I do know that Gabe said he wanted to be a firefighter when he was younger,” I say with a humoured smile. “I’d love to see some pictures of him in his little costume.”

  “Absolutely not.” Gabe intervenes.

  “Come on Gabe. It’s not about you. I want to share some of your past with your girlfriend.” she says to our horror.

  “We're not dating!” we both yell in unison.

  Melisa laughs at the two of us, looking between our two pale faces. I feel so hot right now that I might explode any minute. Looking over at Gabe, I realise that he is blushing madly as well, his ears red and his cheeks a bright pink.

  “Apologies. I thought that you two were together. Gabe speaks so highly of you that I just assumed-”

  “Okay, let’s get down to business. We did call you here for a reason.” Gabe speaks up.

  “Oh, right,” she says, all the humour from her face has disappeared within nanoseconds. I guess Gabe learned from the best. He looks at me now, his face a spitting image of his mother’s blank face. His expression is stone, every aspect of his face unreadable, except his eyes. His eyes, unlike the rest of the time when all his features are closed, are open. They allow me a glimpse into his mind. His eyes bare into me, willing me to understand them. Through a blink of an eye, he transmits a simple, clear question over to me. I can understand what he is trying to say without him even needing to open his mouth. I can read the look in his eyes; I can understand what they wish me to do. They ask me one clear question.

  Will you do the honours?

  Looking to Malisa, I speak, “Who or what, are the Xavia?” I ask in a careful voice.

  At that, Malisa’s whole body tenses. Her back straightens as her eyes become sharp and focused.

  “Where did you hear that?” she asks in a low, threatening voice.

  “We will tell you everything we know about it. As soon as you tell us everything, we want to know about it.” Gabe bargains.

  “Gabriel,” her voice is dripping with authority and power. “If you know anything about the Xavia, you have an obligation to tell me now. I shall explain to you who and what they are after your report.”

  “Swear it,” he speaks with just as much power behind his voice as she does. “Swear upon Dyla that you will tell both Dianna and I who and what the Xavia is, straight after I tell you about what we know about them.”

  Melisa raises her right hand up to her forehead and briefly touches her fingers to it before extending her arm out towards Gabe. “I swear upon Dyla that I will inform both you and Dianna Iysador about the Xavia after you tell me how you heard of it,” she speaks formally.

  Gabe nods and looks towards me. I smile encouragingly and nod back for him to continue.

  “When I was captured by the vamps, they had knocked me unconscious. I woke up days later and overheard the rouges talking about something. The only words I could hear were the words from Xavia. I took my chance to run. They soon found me and stabbed me in the stomach. That’s when Anne and Dianna found me.” he explains. “That is all I have to offer you.”

  She nods thoughtfully and looks back at him. “You say they were rogues, vampires who went rogue. Are you sure?”

  “I am positive,” he confirms.

  “Then you have given me more than enough to work with. Good job, Protector Jones.”

  He nods stiffly and slouches back down into the bed a bit.

  “Who or what are the Xavia?” I repeat.

  She looks at me with the same eyes that I associate Gabe with. Those stunning ember eyes should be Gabe’s to wear as his own. But I guess not.

  “The Xavia… they are a mass group of rogue Shifters who have created a cult of sorts. Shifters are any creatures that are demon or part demon. Their original purpose is to rid the world of Protectors and contaminate the earth with demon and their spawn. Turn our world into theirs. Years ago, I found a way to lock them all up, or in extreme cases, kill them. I and a group of others shut the Xavia down. Their leader committed suicide upon arrival to his cell, saying that he would not live in the presence of a Protector, screaming that he was to die anyway if he were to abandon his mission. Four-hundred and sixty rogues. All the Xavia. I had always thought that we had missed a few, that we had yet to finish our search. I guess now they have reassembled their dying numbers one last time. They’re reforming Xavia, for one last stand,” she says in an unnaturally calm voice.

  “How many were killed by the Xavia?” Gabe asks.

  “Too many to get a finished total. Approximately one-third of all Protectors,” she says sadly.

  Both Gabe and I stare wide-eyed at her, unbelieving.

  “I must take my leave,” she says with newfound light. “I have to alert the Counsel. But I will be back on Saturday.” She looks at Gabe and walks over to him to kiss him on the forehead. She then looks at me and smiles. “Be safe,” she says.

  I nod in response, trying to create a smile for her. She looks back at Gabe and grins. “Treat her good.” She walks over to the curtain and looks back at me, winks, then leaves. I smile and look back at Gabe, who meets my gaze.

  “I really like your mum,” I smirk.

  It’s Saturday morning, and I’m at the Sanctuary. Astrid had asked me if I could assist with Gabe’s rehab exercises. She told me that Gabe had his stitches removed two days ago and will be ready to go out into the field in another couple of days. Astrid also noted that Gabe seemed uncharacteristically nervous about the removal of the stitches and woke up at unusual times of the night. The Skile would normally take effect once a day, usually at sunset. Although it was becoming more frequent the longer the Skile is on.

  “Um, okay. Gabe, sit on the edge of the bed,” I demand.

  Gabe nods and pulls a look of concentration.

  “Good,” I say, backing up to the other side of the room. “Now, slowly walk over to me.”

  He places both feet on the ground and stands, wincing slightly. Gabe takes one short step, then another, and another, until he comes to a stop only a few steps away from me. He grins widely at me, obviously happy about his improvement. I smile back at him and take a nervous step back, drawing the curtains away and motioning for him to walk through.

  We make our way slowly to the training room, finding a space to the side where no one was currently occupying it. He pants in effort, and I spy him wobbling on his feet, though a glare from him makes me ignore it.

  “Stand there.” I point to a spot a few metres away from me, and he happily obliges. Walking a few metres away, I position myself opposite him, smiling confidently.

  “Alright,” I say loudly. “Slowly jog over to me, Gabe.”

  He rolls his eyes and looks at me like I’m talking in a completely different language. “I’m not crippled, Di. I can jog normally,” he says.

  “Gabe, you need to take it-” Gabe starts to run towards me, not at all slow. “Gabe.” I protest.

  He has nearly reached me; Gabe is running fast for a human but slow for a Protector. “Gabe,” I repeat, panicked.

/>   His eyes widen as his legs give out. Gabe tumbles and falls, taking my legs out from beneath me. We both hit the mat with a heavy thump, my hip taking the worst of the sudden fall. Gabe groans softly and sits up. I roll over onto my stomach and use my arms to push myself back up.

  “Ow,” he says simply.

  “Yep, ow,” I confirm as I rub the back of my head.

  “Sorry,” he mutters.

  I reach my hand down, offering it to Gabe. He takes it gratefully and rises slowly to stand next to me, wincing and clutching his gut. It is becoming increasingly hard for me to ignore his groans.

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “I guess that my legs are adjusting to being used again,” he replies with a shrug. “My stomach feels fine.” A lie. I look down at his stomach, and he is quick to release his middle. “Just need to get back into the swing of things. When you stay in bed not being able to move for a week, you gotta take it slow, I guess.”

  “You idiot. That’s exactly what I was saying before you bloody tripped me.” I point out.

  Gabe smiles at me charmingly, my insides flutter, but my face still stays the same. Mad as hell.

  “Calm down,” he soothes jauntily. “I’m a Protector. I grew up under extreme circumstances. Once I fell out of a tree and broke my ankle. The next day I climbed the same tree again!” he says proudly.

  I give an exasperated sigh and stomp off towards the close combat station, Gabe following excitedly behind me.

  “Take your shoes off. Let’s go,” I say as we approach the mat.

  “Yes. I’ve been dying for a fight since Tuesday,” he says as he jumps onto the mat.

  I get the sudden sense of déjà vu. This seems awfully similar to my first time on this mat, but roles reversed. I plant my feet firm on the mat, one foot in front of the other, ready. Gabe smiles at me apologetically and stands there loosely. I smile at him and motion for him to attack me.

  “Are you sure?” he asks warningly.

  “Trust me,” I say, smiling widely.