Affinity (The Guardians Book 1)

by K Fisher

  Hazel kept her foot planted, threw up her chin, and raised her hand slowly. The one middle finger pointed directly at him. It was a gesture she had seen some of the adults flash at each other, and she was confident it was nothing good.

  Sure enough, he seemed to take a step back and was there a smile on his face? With a stomp, Hazel finally felt it was time to go and on her own terms. Ignoring the thought of him making fun of her further, she made her way back, heart racing in her chest. She retreated straight to her room. She did not even look down the hallway towards the reading room, not wanting to see if there was anything, or anyone looking back at her.

  Chapter Four

  Present day

  The next morning, Hazel moved cautiously when she awoke. She opened her door slowly, as if she feared someone may have broken their way into her home during her slumber. During the night, she had been plagued with dreams of her old home and the life she had led there with her adoptive parents. It was a life she had tried a great many times before to erase completely, or to shove away lest she feel the sadness at their absence. Clearly, it was something she’d be unable to control during the night hours.

  Charlie burst through to freedom, the moment the door was cracked, black tail darting around the corner as he knocked Hazel off balance. The cat was desperate to get to the kitchen and where he surely would be fed before she headed off for the day. After regaining her composure, Hazel made her way into the main part of her house, unable to stop herself from looking to every dark corner, prepared for anything that might happen or anyone who may have entered during the night.

  She had a small, off duty revolver at home. Despite there being no immediate need to use it, she found the gun was tucked to her side with every intention of carrying it throughout the day. If there was malicious intent in the warning that had been left behind outside her home, she was not going to be helpless when they came for her or finally made contact again. There had been no number on the note, no further information on the paper.

  She showered quickly, paying no mind to the warm water and how easily she could have spent her entire day there. After leaving, she quickly made some fresh coffee and poured it into a to-go cup before changing into some basic jeans and a black t-shirt. Hazel was planning on running by the police department that morning with a box full of donuts to continue her annoying task of ensuring her team didn't think she was going away anytime soon; even if she wasn’t scheduled to work front desk that day.

  She was not crazy, and she would be back. Until then, some sweets never hurt and it helped her keep an ear on what was going on in Portland.

  Hazel had friends on the force, but not the type of friends that supported crazy and suicidal without warning. They were the type of friends that wanted to see those they cared about taken care of, which in her case just happened to be white padded walls or an indefinite break from the force altogether. Even Darren, the one she had allowed herself to drop some walls and have a sexual relationship with, wouldn’t be okay with her coming back to what he deemed to be an ‘emotional burden’ for her. Good intentions, but she wasn’t interested in playing into that mentality and had hardly dodged being dragged away into an institution, already. Besides, he may have shared her bed for a short time, but she didn’t give a shit enough about his general opinion, especially in regards to her mental state.

  Doomed to forever be a cat mom. She’d get a job at an animal shelter, forever bringing home the stinky beasts to her small home, which would be adorned with cat ladders and toys. She’d knit sweaters for them all and give them human names, forgetting the touch of men forever as she pledged her life to the furry ones.

  No, no, no. It was time to join a dating site.

  Summoning up some courage, she gave Charlie a little pat on the head and filled his food dish, slipping from her apartment before he had a chance to see that she was leaving him. The cat hardly cared, she was sure, but she liked to think he did. Locking her door was almost silly because clearly people were scaling walls to get messages to her, so going through the front door couldn’t be too difficult for whoever sought her out, locked or not. However, she wasn’t going to make things any easier for her new harassers as she locked and double-checked her front door.

  The air outside was brisk that morning; winter would be here soon. It was her favorite few months of the year, where she could nestle up on the couch with a good book and a big, warm bowl of soup. Whether or not they got snow was always a gamble, but she was banking on some fluff that year after the somewhat dry winter they had endured the previous year. Her boots crunched through the grass outside her apartment, a sound she had always enjoyed, and growing up she’d made it a point to smash down all the grass outside her adoptive parents’ home every chance she had. Evidently, it had driven her father mad because he quickly put an end to such things on the third icy day of play. Still, after what she had been through the day before, the nostalgia was welcomed this time.

  Things felt different. It wasn’t something Hazel could put her finger on, but it was like she navigated on a cloud, had been that way for the last few weeks. Her interactions seemed odd and she had simply chalked it up to her own lack of mental stability or overthinking things with those she spoke with. Memories of events seemed unclear at times, logic missing her at the most random of moments when she normally felt so sharp and prepared for anything that rolled her way.

  She had been hiding away at home more and more often, something she had done when she was much younger and the things she saw had scared her, but as an adult it had not been something Hazel allowed herself to do. Her instinct was telling her something was amiss in her world, more than she had originally thought, but of course everything about what she experienced on a daily basis was amiss. Even walking from the donut shop and back to her car, Hazel could see dark shadows in her peripheral, jumping from tree to tree, their eyes fixed on her. They made no move to get closer, nor did they speak to her in any way. It was as if they were only there to observe.

  The spirits had been few and far between when she was growing up, but she did not leave her home often and her Guardian was the only being she was open to acknowledging and speaking with. Once she was out of the house and forced to leave him behind, Hazel had seen the beings again sparingly in the same areas; pulsing shadows of energy on a street or in a field. They did not leave the block, just as her Guardian had been trapped at her father’s home, trapped in the location of their death, and unable to continue tracking her once they noticed she observed them.

  It was something she had yet to fully understand, despite the stories she had been told as a young girl by her Guardian. There was still a part of her fighting to put all that understanding away and ignore her interest in the subject and the beings who haunted her in hopes they would go away. A part of her believed it was the disintegration of her mental health, her Guardian was an imaginary friend when she needed him, this was all something she had to learn to get rid of. Visions of her episode at the orphanage with the force tormented her, telling her it was all real, she had to tread carefully. These things she was seeing? They were following her now when they had been unable to before, and it was not something she had ever felt, not something she had ever dealt with. It was changing, becoming more hostile.

  Now was not the damn time to be delivering donuts.

  Yet, there she was parked just outside her station, prepared to jump in and act as though nothing had changed. Hazel pinched the bridge of her nose, preparing herself for the emotional toll the errand always took on her. She quickly got out of her car and approached the door to the building, a practiced and bright smile on her face. Balancing the pink box of donuts in one hand, she opened the door to the Portland Police Precinct, greeting check-in at the front. The blonde had smiled at her warmly, welcoming her without any pause. Hazel shoved down the last bit of anxiety biting at the edges of her mind.

  So far, so good.

  She could not imagine anyone being allowed to go back to the sta
tion after the stuff she had pulled, not to mention the less than clean bill of health her therapist was pushing. Yet, they acted as if nothing was wrong the moment she entered the building with food, as if she still held her old position. No suspicious gazes or whispered comments at her arrival or why she was there on a day she wasn’t scheduled. It had to be too good to be true and clearly some of her commander’s doing. She knew protocol, something was really working in her favor despite her full-time position being taken from her by the spirits.

  She rounded the corner into the waiting room area, immediately taking note of those sitting there. It was always something she had made a habit of doing and something that had made her even better at her job. The job she would have again, Hazel cruelly reminded herself.

  There was a young man sitting there. He had dark hair, medium build, late teens or early twenties. He was bent over his knees with his head in his hands. Not looking upset but exhausted. A woman, mid-twenties, sat against the far-left wall, her short legs kicked out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. It looked as though she had been taking a nap or she was just bored.

  Pale green eyes flashed up to Hazel the moment she observed the girl fully. It almost stopped her from her mission delivering donuts, the eyes unsettling and direct as they captured Hazel where she stood. The woman they belonged to was well-dressed, her small and delicate face almost pixy-like in nature. Her eyes were far too big for her face, making her seem otherworldly and incredibly innocent; the mischievous look in her eyes not at all matching the rest of her. The woman’s long black hair was set loose, falling into her face as she leaned forward in the chair. Her skin was a soft mocha color, but Hazel couldn’t pinpoint her ethnicity.

  “Morning,” the word slipped from Hazel’s mouth before she had a chance to stop it, unnerved by the female’s intense stare in her direction.

  The female blinked, seeming momentarily stunned by the greeting, but did not answer. Not wanting to waste another second on the stranger, Hazel made her way deeper into the building, seeking out the familiar faces of her team.

  For those few minutes she was back with some of the officers, she could feel as though everything was normal once more; like she was just heading into work on a typical day. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as a face caught her attention. Darren had not only been the one she worked the most with when she was on the force, but he had been the first to discover her assumed attempt at her own life. Not to mention he had seen her drunk, naked, and sleeping in the past, so there was a different level to their interactions Hazel no longer found herself excited for.

  “Jefferson, great to see you,” Hazel smiled, keeping her face calm and collected as she greeted him.

  “Good to see you too Hazel. What you doing here today?” His almond eyes were slightly narrowed, searching her body and face for an answer to his question.

  “Just dropping some stuff off. Donut?”

  “Oh yes! Absolutely! Have any of those maple bars?” The mention of food had him distracted just long enough, eyes leaving her as they looked over the box in her hand.

  “You know I do.” She popped open the top, waving the box in his face as he struggled to grab onto his chosen snack.

  “You seem to be doing well,” he took a breath, “I was trying to call.” There it was, the discussion she had wanted to avoid. How did you explain spirits you’d seen since you were a child were trying to kill you for some reason? It wasn’t exactly something you just spilled to another human, especially when their only interactions revolved around the calls they went on together and drunken, desperate nights. Clawing each other’s clothing off until they were only a pile of sweaty need, only to pretend it had never transpired the next day at work.

  “I appreciate it. But I’m just focusing on my health right now. I hope to be back soon.”

  His smile was the only response Hazel received. White and straight, it was strained and clouded with more questions he had yet to ask. But she didn’t have the time to gamble with her answers and struggle to get him to let it go, she had a job to do.

  “Listen, Jefferson, I’ll call you as soon as I’m feeling back to myself, I promise. Now I better go get these donuts to the others before they hunt me down.” Without waiting for a response, Hazel gave him the warmest smile she could muster and turned away, the smile an ache on her face as she made her way towards the rest of the team on site.

  Once the donut box was empty, Hazel stirred herself out of the moment, recycling it in the break room before heading towards the exit. Darren was still on her mind, their strained interaction one she did not want to endure again. He had always been the one who had remained the most skeptical about her returning to work fully, and she had hoped he would be out in the field instead of in the office when she arrived. Once she reached the waiting room again, Hazel noted the young man who had been there with his head in his hands was gone, but the odd woman still sat there, pale eyes snapping to Hazel once more when she entered the room.

  This time, Hazel moved quickly through the waiting area, not stopping to pay the small woman any mind. She waved goodbye to the woman at the Sergeant’s desk and made her way outside to the chilly morning again.

  She hadn’t even heard the woman approach her outside until a small finger poked her shoulder.

  “Hazel! It’s great to finally meet you. It’s so relaxing out here, isn’t it?”

  Hazel turned on her heel quickly, palming her keys as she looked into the light green eyes of the stranger. She was a tiny thing and couldn’t have been much older than she was, coming just to Hazel’s mid-chest.

  “Can I help you? How did you know my name?” The hostility melted from Hazel the moment she turned to face the woman, her shoulders relaxing as an odd sensation crept through her body with her touch and words. It was a calming feeling she could not place, but immediately leaned into and desperately desired more of.

  “Oh I’ve heard all about you. Delivering donuts, again? Seems odd, doesn’t it?”

  Was she calling her out for the attachment to her work? What did she know? Did this stranger know what had happened to her? Everyone had done such a bang-up job of keeping things under wraps. Was she a reporter?

  Despite the suspicions, Hazel still felt her heart rate calming, things slowing down around her until she was only focusing on the stranger. “I suppose that depends. Who are you and how can I help you?”

  She produced a pout, big eyes blinking back some feigned hurt. “So abrasive, Hazel! But I heard you would be. I’m Faye and I’m here to bring you out of this spell.” The small woman lifted one hand to shift her dark locks over her shoulder and out of her way as she raised her hands and cracked them in front of her body. Hazel’s eyes watched them, widening when she saw the light red hue that appeared to surround each palm.

  Before Hazel had a chance to question her further, Faye’s hand shoved forward and hit her shoulder, knocking her backward. The force was not something Hazel had been prepared for and the moment she hit the lush grass, she sprang to her feet with her fists clenched, squinting through the rays of sun towards the woman as she looked to attack back.

  “What the hell is your problem?! What are you even talking about, I-” Rays of sun? Lush grass? Hazel’s mouth fell open as her eyes landed on the home before her, the new location finally dawning on her.

  “Welcome home, Hazel!” Faye’s cheery voice exclaimed as she extended her arms to the large home before them and spun in a circle, her face upwards towards the glaring sun that beat down upon them both.

  It was the home she had grown up in, the Victorian home she had left a great many years ago for what she had hoped to be the last time.

  Hazel did not respond to Faye, realizing this was either some dream, or she had finally broken down fully and her mind was mush. It was something she had feared for quite some time. There was not a logical understanding of why things were happening the way they were when it came to her normal, everyday life. Things were fuzzy, unclear, and laced w
ith darkness. Why was this any different? It was just some trick of her mind or magic she could not comprehend, but always seemed to demand her attention and understanding.

  Hazel’s heart was racing wildly, palms sweating as she looked up at the old, familiar house. The house she had met her Guardian in, the home she had come to clear out when her father had passed away. She was torn between wanting to shake Faye and demand answers, and shrink back down to the grass and close her eyes to will it all away.

  Cool, calm, collected. The three C’s she had attempted to dedicate her life to, were becoming more than simple goals in that moment. They seemed almost unattainable as she redirected her eyes back to Faye.

  “Tell me what the hell is going on here,” she said through gritted teeth, clenching her fists to rid herself of the shaking that had started and taken over her entire body.

  Faye’s pale green eyes returned her stare and the small woman slipped closer to Hazel, who stood her ground. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she seemed to fight for her next words, struggling with how to respond.

  “I guess I kind of jumped into this spell to get you free without thinking about how I’d explain things…”

  “Spell? What, like magic?” There was no need to play stupid, she needed answers.

  If Hazel was at all willing to believe she was brought back to her home in a simple push, it was only some form of magic or her own head doing such things. It wasn’t unorthodox and quite frankly, she would have taken any sort of answer.

  Faye put her hands in the air defensively as the question was barked at her. Hazel probably would have felt bad if she wasn’t clouded by her own alarm and fleeting sense of sanity. Even now, the woods around Faye seemed to pulse and become less and less clear, like a cloud had fallen over them.

  “Listen, you encountered a Danira Lacko. Do you recall anything about that name?”