Guardian Born

by S. A. Moss

  “Because we’re both in the mid-plane?”

  “Exactly!” She smiled encouragingly. “Did you notice the slight glow around me? You’ll always see that around another supernatural, Guardian or Fallen, whether they’re faded out or not. All supernaturals have auras, but they’re brighter when we’re faded out.”

  “Got it.” That actually made sense. Maybe I would get the hang of all this. “Okay, so now what?”

  She waggled her eyebrows. “Now we hop a train.”

  10

  Okay, so it wasn’t as cool as flying across town, or teleporting or something. But I was still grinning like an idiot as we stepped onto the Red Line, slipping into the train car completely unnoticed. We had walked through the turnstiles like they—or we—didn’t exist. I was beginning to see all the perks of this “fading out” thing.

  My giddiness ebbed slightly, and I frowned.

  This, more than anything, made me feel well and truly dead. The only reason we had to become incorporeal to hop the train was because technically, neither of us existed. I had no wallet, no ID, not even my own clothes. I might be here on Earth, but I didn’t belong here the way I used to. Staring out the window at the receding downtown skyline, I tried to see it the same way I had… yesterday? But I couldn’t.

  It hadn’t changed at all.

  But I sure had.

  “It gets easier,” Pearl said, seeming to read my thoughts.

  I jerked my head toward her then glanced anxiously around at our fellow passengers on the train car.

  She giggled. “They can’t hear me. They could if I wanted them to, but I don’t.”

  My shoulders relaxed. “So, what else can we do? You said I could harness the energy of the universe, right? And use it like a weapon?”

  “Yes. You’ll get better and better at that too. The better you are, the more exact you can be. Your first few tries will probably be wild swings.”

  “Can the Fallen use aether too?”

  Her expression grew serious. “Yes, they can use aether just as well as we can. Different creatures have different abilities. Wraiths, like the one who attacked you, can take over human bodies. They’re the only supernaturals who can possess people like that. Banshees can use their scream as a weapon. Demons’ powers vary a lot, depending on how the Shroud warped them.”

  I blinked, trying to take all that in. Part of me really wanted to see one of these creatures she was talking about, while another, more sane part of me hoped I’d never encounter one.

  When the train reached Lawrence, I led her off the car. Once we were a block away from the train stop, Pearl insisted we fade back in. Then she lifted her face to the sky briefly, closing her eyes against the bright sunshine. Man, she really missed Earth.

  Instead of hopping a bus, we decided to walk the rest of the way while she showed me how to use my power. I was about to be left on my own here, and I was beginning to get anxious about it.

  Part of me was desperate for her to leave, so I could find a way to sneak back to Silver’s office before it got cleaned out. There was a little voice in the back of my head that couldn’t stop tallying the pieces of evidence that were surely disappearing one by one the longer it took me to get there.

  But another part of me would’ve happily begged Pearl to stay. I’d spent most of my life resolutely on my own—I refused to think about who might attend my funeral, or if there would even be one—but for the first time in a long time, I kind of wanted the company.

  As we walked, she talked me through creating a blast of energy. It was a lot like fading, except instead of feeling like I was spreading out, I focused on pulling. Once I’d gathered enough energy inside myself, I could release it outward in a blast.

  Well… blast was a strong word for what I achieved. I knocked over a plastic coffee cup someone had left on the curb.

  “That was very good!” Pearl cheered at my great coffee cup massacre. I wondered if she was ever not enthusiastic. “Just keep practicing. You’ll get better and better.”

  “Yeah. I’ll keep trying. Can you do it?” I wanted to see what it might look like when I finally mastered it.

  “Of course.” She stopped walking and looked around quickly. We were passing a small park. It was the middle of the afternoon on a… Thursday? I had sort of lost track of the days, but I was almost positive it was a weekday; the park was nearly empty. A woman pushed her son on a swing on the far side of the park, but there was no one nearby.

  Pearl held her hands up in front of her, and then quickly pushed them outward. There was a dull whump, and a thick tree about twenty feet in front of her shuddered violently. A large chunk of bark fell off, and the woman across the park looked up sharply.

  I gaped at the tree. If it had been a person, they’d have been laid flat out by that blast, no question. Wowza. Okay, this energy-throwing power was no joke.

  She turned to me, casually dusting off her hands. “I’m really not even that good at it. I don’t have much need to use it. Some Guardians are much more powerful than I am. And some have so much control, they could’ve pierced a hole through that tree and left the tree standing.”

  Okay, I really needed to work on this skill. Of course, finding ways to do that without terrifying the people around me would be a bit tricky. But I’d figure it out.

  As we continued toward our destination, I kept practicing on pieces of trash or small objects we passed. My blasts were still pathetically weak, but at least my aim seemed to be decently accurate. When we approached a storefront with big red lettering on the front declaring it to be Windy City Mixed Martial Arts, my footsteps slowed. Would Alex even be here now? Would I have to just stand outside and wait for him for hours? I was unaccountably nervous.

  Pearl didn’t seem to share my hesitation, and practically smooshed her face against the large glass window, peering eagerly inside. “Is that him? Ooh, how adorable!”

  Awkwardly, I peeked through the window next to her. Inside, a group of about ten kids were spaced around the room, practicing punches in formation. A little boy at the back kept stopping to look around at the rest of the class in apparent wonder, while a small blonde girl at the front popped her fist out like a trained boxer, a determined set to her shoulders.

  Pearl wasn’t wrong. It was pretty freaking adorable.

  My eyes flicked up to the front of the class, and I blinked. That was him—Alex Knight. He looked about my age, tall, with short brown hair. He was calling out prompts to the students in front of him, and as they gamely followed his commands, a lopsided grin split his face, making dimples pop out on his cheeks.

  Holy cow.

  Adorable.

  I jerked my head back, glancing over at Pearl quickly. She still had her eyes glued on the classroom. Had she been referring to the class or the guy? I would most certainly not admit that I’d just had the same thought.

  I peeked back through the window, just as his gaze lifted. His eyes met mine, and a charge zinged through my whole body. His grin widened, humor glinting in his bright green eyes. He raised his eyebrows.

  Yup, he definitely knew that Pearl and I were checking him out.

  Wait. He knew that Pearl and I were checking him out! We’d never faded back after getting off the train.

  Shit.

  Panicking, I grabbed Pearl’s arm and yanked her away from the window. She had been mimicking the punches and kicks the kids were doing, and she squawked as I pulled her around the corner into a small alley—because, of course.

  “He saw us!”

  She looked at me in confusion for a second, then her eyes widened. “Oopsie.”

  I stared at her in shock for a few seconds before a hysterical laugh bubbled up my throat. It felt like a rubber band snapping, releasing all the tension that had been building in my mind since I’d woken up in that strange room on that strange altar. My laugh made Pearl laugh.

  “Fade out! Fade out!” Pearl flapped her hands at me, a grin splitting her face. It was a little strange to try
to visualize fading into the ether of the universe while simultaneously giggling like an idiot, but I felt the shift happen in my body and was pretty sure it had worked.

  Pearl heaved a sigh. “Some guide I am. I botched your arrival, and now I’ve gone and botched your orientation.” She was still smiling, but her words seemed sincere.

  “I don’t think you botched anything. If you hadn’t been there when I woke up, I definitely would’ve lost it. The Council members aren’t exactly the most warm and fuzzy people I’ve ever met, or the most forthcoming with information.”

  Her eyes softened. “Thank you.”

  “Is it really bad that he saw me?”

  “No. He’ll never see you again, so as far as he’s concerned, we were just two ladies gawping through the window at him. And really, he must be used to that!” Her eyes widened, and she fanned herself dramatically. Oh geez.

  I looked away awkwardly. “Um, yeah. Right. Okay, good. I didn’t want to get in trouble my first day.”

  “It was my fault, really. I barely ever get to come to Earth, so when I do I like to truly be here. And as long as we’re just walking down the street, there’s no harm in being seen. I should warn you though, you’re better off staying faded out most of the time. It’s much easier to do the job when no one notices you.”

  “Got it. Makes sense.”

  She squared her shoulders. “Well, this is where I leave you. You’ve found your charge, and you know the basics of throwing energy. Just keep practicing. Someone will come find you in a few days to check on you.”

  “You?” I asked hopefully.

  “Possibly. There are other Guardians who are left at the Haven, and I know many of them would love a chance to come to Earth too. But if Arcadius will let me, I’ll definitely come again.” She reached out and pulled me into a swift hug. “Take care of yourself, Cam. And that one.” She jerked her head toward the building next to us.

  “I will. You too.”

  She headed back the way we’d come, probably to hop another train. Or maybe she’d walk back and extend her time on Earth by a few hours, like a kid playing hooky from school. I stepped out of the alley and watched her until she was out of sight.

  I had liked Pearl. I could almost see myself becoming friends with her. Of course, there was a good chance I wouldn’t see her again for decades. I sighed, not wanting to process the sadness or weirdness of that thought, and turned back toward Windy City MMA.

  I stepped tentatively up to the window, afraid that Alex would somehow still be able to see me. But although he glanced through the window again as he strolled around the room correcting stances, his eyes never settled on me.

  Mustering my courage, I braced myself and walked through the window into the studio. I settled into a corner of the studio, watching Alex tease the girl in the front by pretending that her punches knocked him back several feet.

  Unbidden, a smile ghosted across my face.

  Adorable.

  Hoo boy.

  11

  I sat and watched Alex finish up his martial arts class, watched the mothers flirt shamelessly with him when they came to pick up their kids, then tried not to watch as he went into another training room and worked the heavy bag for an hour. When he took off his shirt mid-way through, I tried even harder not to watch. I may not have been entirely successful.

  Besides the fact that he was incredibly easy on the eyes, I was also really curious what it was that made him—out of the millions of people living in this city—so important he needed constant supernatural protection. Who was going to come after this guy? Besides over-exuberant eight-year-olds and horny moms, anyway.

  After Alex closed up the studio, I followed him home. He actually lived within walking distance, and as we strolled down the sidewalk, I surreptitiously practiced throwing blasts at street lamps and fire hydrants. Slipping into his apartment behind him made me feel like the world’s biggest creeper, and I spent several minutes hanging out awkwardly in the corner while he flipped through his mail and set it on the counter.

  When he took off his shirt—again—and headed towards the bathroom to shower, I sat on his couch and looked around at his living room. This was definitely a guy’s apartment, but not in a gross way. The place was clean, no piles of dishes on the coffee table or giant dust bunnies under the TV stand. But there weren’t a lot of decorative touches. No little knickknacks or centerpieces whose only purpose was to please the eye.

  When he finished showering, Alex fixed himself dinner and sat on the couch with a book for a while. I scooted over to make sure there was a good three feet of space between us on the couch. Although he wasn’t aware of it at all, I somehow felt like we’d each staked out our sides of the couch, and I planned to stick to mine like glue.

  I stayed there after Alex went to bed, lost in my thoughts.

  Unconsciously, I reached for the locket with my parents’ pictures in it, only to remember I no longer had it. I’d been wearing it when I died, and when I’d woken up on the stone slab, I had been completely naked.

  My chest tightened. It was a little thing, but when it came to my parents, even little things meant a lot. I didn’t have much left to remember them by, and that locket had been one of my most prized possessions. A way of keeping my parents with me, always.

  If I knew what happened to them, maybe I would’ve been able to make some peace with it all. But their unexplained disappearance had been like a festering wound in my heart, refusing to heal no matter how much time passed.

  Shoving the sad thoughts away, I rose from the couch and glanced at the clock on Alex’s microwave.

  3:24 a.m. Gahhhh.

  There was no way I was going to make it to morning. How on earth did other Guardians handle this? What did they do all night?

  Then a thought occurred to me. I wanted to go to Silver’s office to see if I could find any clues to what he knew about my parents. I’d been waiting until tomorrow, but why? Wasn’t now a better time to go?

  I shivered. The idea of walking down the street alone in the middle of the night made the version of me who’d been alive a few days ago extremely nervous. But I wasn’t that girl anymore. I didn’t have to fear the same things I once had.

  Before I left, I did a quick sweep of the apartment. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for, but I did feel a bit guilty for abandoning my post less than twenty-four hours in. The least I could do was make sure there were no monsters lurking in the shadows before I left. And I wouldn’t be gone too long. If all went well, I’d be back before he even woke up.

  I hesitated outside Alex’s room. He hadn’t shut the door, and I could just make out his sleeping form on the bed. With a sigh at the weirdness of all this, I slipped inside the room. Now I definitely felt like a creeper. I peeked into the corners, stuck my head in the closet, and peered out the window at the empty street three stories below.

  As I turned to leave, my gaze caught on Alex. He was sprawled on the bed, the covers partially kicked off. His long lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones, and his features seemed even more defined in the glow of the streetlights through the window. But his expression was what held my attention. Even in sleep, features relaxed, a slight smile seemed to hover on his lips.

  I’d noticed yesterday in his class that he smiled and laughed a lot, like the whole world delighted him. I liked it. I wondered briefly what my life would’ve been like if I’d known someone like him. I’d spent so much time with my head down, trying to get ahead, assuming I’d have a chance to reap the benefits of all my seriousness and hard work later.

  Maybe I should’ve made more room in my life for people like Alex, who grinned for no reason because they didn’t need a reason to be happy.

  Shaking off the thought, I crept out the door. There’d be plenty of time to regret my life choices later, but right now I had a job to do.

  Getting to Silver’s office was surprisingly simple. The Red Line ran all night, though service was slow at this hour.

 
; I walked the rest of the way since the bus wasn’t running yet. I had to keep reminding myself I didn’t need to look over my shoulder to make sure a mugger wasn’t following me—no one could see me. I was still dressed only in the tank top and jeans I’d gotten from Pearl, but the cold didn’t bother me.

  As I approached the apartment building/office complex, my footsteps faltered. I didn’t want to look at the spot where the car had hit me, but it pulled my gaze like a magnet. I bit my lip, half expecting to see my own dead body.

  But there was nothing there. No blood, no corpse. No sign of what had happened at all, except a faint set of black tire marks where the car had probably tried to brake.

  Had my death left a body behind? Or had it somehow faded away and materialized in the Haven when my soul got trapped in the Shroud?

  Clenching my fists, I forced myself to keep walking. I passed right through the front door and walked up the steps to Silver’s office. Had the police been here already? There wouldn’t still be dead bodies up in the office, would there?

  Yellow tape crisscrossing the door seemed to glow in the dark hallway, and I relaxed a bit. That was probably both good and bad news. It meant the chances of me encountering a two-day-old body inside were significantly lessened. But it also meant the police might’ve removed exactly what I was looking for as part of their own investigation.

  Bracing myself, I slipped through the door. The room was dark, and it occurred to me for the first time that I really didn’t have the right equipment for breaking and entering. A flashlight would’ve made sneaking around at night a lot easier, and significantly less scary.

  I faded back in and walked slowly toward the desk, gaze glued to the floor.