by C. A. Bleu
At times she saw her mother standing in a beautiful field filled with sunshine and wildflowers as the wind blew through her hair and butterflies danced all around her. Her dream then cut to her mother on a beach, laughing and so carefree, splashing water at the edge of the ocean. Zara and her mother had never been to the beach, but this dream felt so real. She felt a renewed excitement for the day as she committed the images of her mother to memory and tried to forget all the craziness of yesterday. She was eighteen today and it was going to be a great day!
Sitting up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stretched, trying to bring life to her limbs. Walking toward the bathroom she suddenly doubled over, grabbing her stomach as sharp pain and overwhelming nausea hit her. Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead as she tried to breathe through the pain. Her anxiety spiked when Aaron called up for her to come downstairs for breakfast. Grimacing in pain, she focused on her breathing as she worked on not making a sound until this pain could pass.
Zara’s mind flashed to her mom, wishing she was there as her fear increased, wondering what was wrong with her. Her pain slowly began to fade, and she stood upright again by the bed. Composing herself, she squared her shoulders, determined not to let anything ruin this day for her. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
“Today is going to be great,” she told herself unconvincingly, taking in her pale disheveled appearance, at least the bags under her eyes seemed to have disappeared.
After a shower and a brief taste of Aaron’s breakfast of champions, scrambled eggs and bacon, she headed outside. Zara was eager to get back out to the one place that made her feel whole and refreshed. Meandering through the forest, she immediately felt a calm peacefulness wash over her. She thought about her plans for the future, or lack thereof, and shook her head. The money she had saved with her minimum wage job at the movie theater was not a lot, but it was better than nothing. It was enough to get her going in whichever direction she chose. Leaving town after graduation had always been her plan, but Aaron had made her promise to wait until her eighteenth birthday; she had reluctantly agreed, though she didn’t know why it mattered so much to him. Looking at her watch, Zara realized her friend Lilith would be arriving in a few hours. She had this beautiful place to herself for a while and she was not going to waste it.
Lying back, she relaxed in the soft grass of her favorite spot in the forest. She enjoyed the warmth of the sunlight breaking through the tree limbs above her and the intermittent warm breezes that felt like the comforting hug of a friend. A kaleidoscope of butterflies danced her way. She lay still and silent as the butterflies surrounded her in greeting much like the way they surrounded her mother in the dream. Smiling, she closed her eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
Back at the cabin, Aaron was busy getting ready for tonight. He had already called some of the other Protectors he trusted who, like him, were anxious to see what would happen. Zara had come to think of some of them as ‘family’, at least the few that visited over the years, though she was aware they were not really her family, just friends of Aaron’s. Aaron wanted to ensure they were prepared for anything this evening. He had told Zara she could invite a couple friends but the only one she asked was Lilith. She had become Zara’s best friend over the past year and really was the only friend Zara ever hung out with. Aaron felt confident in his ability to protect Zara and knew his chosen team would be on high alert tonight.
There were others out there who were also aware of the prophecy and Aaron knew they would do anything to kill or capture Zara, to take the ring and her power for themselves. There had been attempts over the years that Aaron and his team had been able to stop even without Zara noticing. Their enemy knew the power the ring held and wanted it for himself, but what he did not know was that only Zara Trinity would be able to wield that immense power; the ring would mean nothing if they didn’t have her.
The Protectors knew if Zara ended up in the wrong hands it could mean devastation for the entire world. He closed his eyes and shook his head at the thought. Remembering that the ring had been missing for many years he wondered if anything would happen tonight without it. The Ring was always given to the next Trinity on her eighteenth birthday, usually gifted to them by their mother. He wondered if Zara would still be able to take in her full powers without the ring. He felt in his heart that Zara’s mother Isabella must have hidden it, he just needed to figure out where.
A few hours later a loud beep sounded alerting Aaron that someone was at the gated entry. Checking the remote camera on his phone, he pressed the button to allow Lilith in. Bouncing through the front door, Lilith was polite as usual when she greeted him, but she seemed to be in a hurry to get to Zara. When she asked him where Zara was Aaron felt a slight hesitation in his response, something in his gut sending a warning, but against his better judgment, he responded,
“She’s upstairs getting ready, you can go on up.”
His team never found anything on her that would make him keep her away, but that was just it, they never found anything on her. The only information from her past showed that she was an emancipated minor, on her own from the age of seventeen and due to moving and switching schools in the foster care system she had not been able to finish high school. She had been nineteen when she met Zara and they had just recently graduated together. Lilith lived on her own in a small apartment near town which she paid for through her own job. It was definitely out of the ordinary, but it seemed to check out. He watched her go up the stairs and thought he must be on edge about tonight, surely Lilith was okay. If she had meant to harm Zara, she would have tried something by now.
Lilith was about to knock on Zara’s door, but instead she leaned her ear in to listen. She could hear Zara whispering softly to herself.
“What does this all mean, Mom? I wish you would have left me something more. A journal, pictures, anything, and what about this ring?”
Lilith knocked lightly on the door. Zara was startled but relieved to see Lilith. Even though things ended a little weird yesterday, Lilith had been her best friend for a while now and Zara was glad she had come to celebrate her birthday.
“Oh, Lilith, I’m so glad you’re here. I’m sorry about yesterday,” Zara said as she stood up from the floor, taking Lilith’s hands. “I don’t know what got into me, I was so rude to you. I hope you’ll forgive me, I think with my birthday and thinking about my mom, it all just got to me.”
“It’s okay,” Lilith said, smiling. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better and you seem like you’re in a much better mood today.”
“I am, and I’m eighteen today! Do you want to go outside and help me find a place for the bonfire tonight? I was thinking of having it just inside the field past the tree line,” Zara said as she and Lilith headed downstairs and out the back door. As they were walking toward the field Zara saw that Lilith appeared distracted. Zara watched out of the corner of her eye as Lilith stopped and spoke.
“Hey, so yesterday you mentioned something about your mom,” Lilith said in a soft voice, looking down as she stopped walking and stood beside Zara.
Here we go again, Zara thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it was nothing. I know it sounded crazy, I just thought I saw her is all, but I think it was just a dream.” Zara kept walking, hoping the subject was dropped.
“Well,” Lilith said in that same soft, calm voice. “When I was about to knock on your door just now it sounded like you were talking to her.” Lilith stared at Zara with a questioning look, waiting for a response.
“Yeah, I do that sometimes. I talk to her picture sometimes whenever things feel heavy on my mind or I’m just missing her. I guess with my birthday and all, I was just having a moment,” Zara said, hoping this was enough to satisfy Lilith’s curiosity.
Lilith seemed disappointed, almost like she had hoped Zara was really talking to her mom. “I could have sworn you said something about your mom’s ring?” Lilith asked que
stioningly, perhaps with more force than she intended.
A tingle of warning crawled up Zara’s spine as she tried to change the subject. “Oh, Lilith, you know I think about it from time to time, just wishing I knew more about her is all.”
Zara wanted to end this conversation. It appeared that Lilith was giving up for the moment as she shrugged her shoulders and walked on. Zara didn’t miss the strange look in Lilith’s eye as if she wanted to ask Zara more about her mom. Lilith followed behind Zara and they eventually found the perfect spot for the bonfire. Aaron had reluctantly agreed to the bonfire and told Zara that some of his friends may be there tonight as well, so she wanted enough space for everyone that may be there.
When Lilith and Zara made their way back to the cabin, they found Aaron in the kitchen talking with several people who had arrived. Zara recognized most of them, but a couple were strangers to her. As soon as she and Lilith walked in, the conversation stopped. It made Zara uncomfortable, sitting in this silence that she knew must have been about her. She brushed it off, thinking maybe they had been talking about a birthday gift or something else just as innocent.
Staring at Zara, Aaron felt a twinge of regret twist in his stomach over all the secrets he had kept from her through the years. Maybe not lies so much as omissions of the truth and he knew it was information she so desperately wanted; needed. He didn’t like keeping things from her, particularly these last few years as she had gotten older, but he knew she would soon come to realize that he and the others like him were part of something bigger, The Trinity Protectors.
The Trinity Protectors had sworn their lives to protect the women in Zara’s family for the past two hundred years and would continue to do so. The Protectors knew of the powers that the Trinity women held and they knew of the prophecy, of what Zara was or would become. They have sworn their allegiance to fight against Erebus, the evil of the underworld, but they also know that only a Trinity can truly defeat him.
As the group began to talk casually, each with their own secrets held close, an older woman entered the kitchen from the back hallway. Subtle glances were exchanged with those in the room as the air began to feel thick with tension. Zara was held captive in the stare of the older woman as she crossed the room and stood by Aaron. Though she had never seen her before, something about her felt familiar. The woman’s kind, beautiful eyes seemed to call to her. Zara wondered who she was when the older woman smiled at her. Just as Zara was about to speak, a strong wave of nausea sent her racing to the bathroom. Lilith followed quickly after to check on her. The others in the kitchen looked at one another knowingly as the men bowed their heads in greeting to the older woman.
Zara had the bathroom door closed and locked just before she vomited. A sheen of sweat broke out across her forehead as her body shook hard, wracked with chills. Wrapping her arms tight around herself, she sank to the floor as terrified sad tears slowly fell down her cheeks. She worked to calm her breathing when she saw a small golden ball of light appear in front of her just as it had in her bedroom yesterday. Her breath caught as she watched the ball of light grow bigger and brighter, taking shape again in the form of her mother, Isabella.
“Mom?” Zara said on a broken whisper as fresh tears burned her eyes.
“Zara honey, oh how I’ve missed you. I wish I could be there for you during this time, but there are things you need to know. I don’t have much time right now. You are right to keep the ring to yourself for now but take it with you tonight. You must put it on at the exact time of your birth.”
Zara stared wide-eyed and thought of Aaron’s words earlier. “8:24 p.m.?” Zara said with her eyebrows raised in question.
“That’s right, be careful who you trust. We will talk more soon,” her mother said as her smile faded into nothing.
As quick as she had appeared her mother was gone. Zara heard Lilith at the door asking if she was alright. Had Lilith heard her mom? Zara reached a shaking hand up to unlock the door letting Lilith in.
“What is going on? Are you okay?” Lilith asked with a look of worry and concern.
Zara crawled to her feet pulling herself together as she flushed the toilet then washed her hands and face. Drying off with the hand towel, she looked at Lilith in the mirror.
“Yeah, I’ve been fighting this nausea for several days now and I just couldn’t fight it off any longer. I think I actually feel better though. I’m going to go change clothes and I’ll meet you outside. Can you ask Aaron and the guys to start the bonfire?” She watched as Lilith stared at her for a moment before nodding, then she walked out to relay the message.
Zara’s shoulders sagged with the weight of trying to hold it together. Staring at her reflection in the mirror she tried to make sense of what she saw. A quick glance at her watch to check the time had her heading to her room with determined strides. She was going to figure out what was happening.
Zara threw on some different clothes then grabbed her backpack to get her mother’s ring. This time she opened the box without hesitation, and she reached in to pull out the ring. Her mother’s words had given her the confidence she needed to take that next step. Zara wasn’t sure what was happening to her or what her mom meant by ‘We’ll talk more soon’, but Zara was feeling an adrenaline rush like never before. All her life something had been missing and now she felt she was on the verge of something big.
Picking up the ring, she could feel its warmth hot in her hand as she rolled it around to look at the intricate Trinity designs. It was a beautiful wide banded gold ring, with the Trinity symbol etched repeatedly around the circumference of the ring. She desperately wanted to put it on, but her mom said to wait until 8:24 p.m. Placing it in the front left pocket of her jeans, she turned to head out the bedroom door. Distracted by the glimpse of herself in the mirror, she could not help but notice that her hair seemed to glow with a deeper, more radiant shade of her usual amber red. Her hazel eyes appeared to sparkle with the irises of her eyes showing brighter hints of gold and amber specs. She smiled at her reflection. Yes, something was definitely happening, and she was ready to find out what.
Outside, darkness had fallen, and she could hear muted conversations from the others across the field. She could see the flames dancing through the tree line right where she wanted the bonfire to be. It had been her place of peace since she was a little girl and Aaron started bringing her here. After her mother died, they would come to the cabin almost every weekend to get away. Maybe they both needed the escape? Zara had never really stopped to think about the impact her mother’s death may have had on Aaron, she never really understood the extent of their relationship as he had spoken so little about it.
Checking her watch again, she saw that it was now 8:05 p.m. As she crossed the tree line, she sensed the others looking at her. With her head held high, she met their stares unblinking and the feeling hit her that they all knew something she didn’t. How had she not felt this before? They were all keeping something from her. Her eyes lit on Aaron’s face and even he seemed a bit taken aback with her confident questioning look. Lilith was also staring in anticipation as if she was expecting something.
“What are you all staring at?” Zara said accusingly, she noticed as some exchanged secret glances with one another.
“Nothing, we were just worried since you took off back there. Are you alright?” Aaron asked.
Embarrassed, Zara remembered the last time they saw her she had run out of the kitchen sick. Of course, that’s why they were staring. “Oh, yeah, sorry. No, I’m fine. I feel much better now.”
Zara stood close to Lilith as she neared the fire but noticed from the corner of her eye that Aaron came to stand on her other side. One of Aaron’s friends played guitar off to the side providing some nice background music while others sat in their chairs finishing their food or drinks. Soon, she was lost to the flames, mesmerized by their dance until she began to feel that same electric current she had felt in her bedroom when her mother first appeared. The hairs on her arms r
aised and she discreetly cast a glance around to see if the others were feeling anything. Small conversations were going on around her but no one else seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary.
She felt a burning sensation coming from her pocket, the ring, she thought. Zara checked her watch again and saw that it was now 8:15 p.m. It was as if there was energy building all around her. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep calming breath to relax herself. When she opened them, it was with fresh eyes that she began to notice the intricate designs beginning to swirl within the flames of the fire. She was startled when she realized the designs taking shape in the flames were the same designs on the wooden box that had held the ring.
Subtly glancing around again at the others, they all seemed oblivious, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. All but one, the older woman, the same older woman she had seen earlier in the kitchen. She appeared to be in her late sixties or early seventies, with broad shoulders and the remnants of a strong athletic body. She stared unwaveringly at Zara as if she knew exactly what was going through her mind and body. Zara had never seen her before tonight but there was something warm and familiar about her.
Heart racing, she checked her watch again, 8:23, she caught Aaron’s glance out of the corner of her eye when she looked up from her watch. He must know something, why else did he happen to mention today of all days, the time she was born. Casually, as if not reaching in for anything at all, Zara slowly put her hands in her pockets. When her fingertip touched the ring, she stared in awe as the flames began to reach higher. Zara pulled out the ring that now seemed to vibrate with an energy of its own. With her hands behind her back, she slowly slipped the Trinity Ring onto the ring finger of her left hand just as her mother had worn it.
The moment the ring was in place the flames burst high, shooting straight up into the air and a strong wind blew around them all. Zara could feel her hair blowing wildly in the wind. All eyes were set on her now, mouths open in awe. Around her, each of the men present dropped down on one knee, staring up at her as a golden glow enveloped her. Zara did not know what was happening, but she felt a surge of energy and power in her veins stronger than she could ever imagine. She felt invincible. Her head bent back as she looked to the sky and her hands opened toward the ground. Golden light emanated from her fingertips and all around her. It was as if energy filled her from the earth and the sky all at once. An awareness subtly washed over her that the others here meant her no harm, all but one.