by Holly Martin
He just smiled and shook his head as if he was indulging me.
I knew I was right, whatever it took, I wasn’t going to lose him. And with this renewed outlook, I felt better about my future than I had all day.
*
The streets were deserted on the drive to my new home, it was early hours in the morning and the world was still sleeping in their beds, seemingly unaware of this new life that I had stumbled against. The life where I was now charged with their salvation. Christmas lights twinkled sporadically on a few houses. It was early December and I wondered what kind of Christmas I would have this year.
A blue car suddenly joined us, following very close behind Eli’s silver car. I felt Seth tense under my arms and I knew something was very wrong.
‘Not again, surely,’ I called to him over the noise of the engine.
He turned to look over his shoulder at the driver and I heard him swear.
‘Corben,’ he muttered. And though I’d not heard the name before, I knew this wasn’t good.
I turned to look too as the blue car attempted to get past the silver one.
The Guardian’s car suddenly swerved and drew level with me, as the blue car accelerated towards me. Seth floored the bike and the silver car surprisingly matched our speed. This did very little though to put any distance between us and Corben. As the Guardian’s car inched closer to me, the passenger door flew open and Lucas leaned out, unperturbed by the road passing beneath him at over a hundred miles an hour. His eyes held a steely determination as he reached out towards me. I looked back as Corben’s car bore down on us.
In a sudden slick move I was torn from the bike and pulled into the car by Lucas. Seth didn’t even wobble. Instead, as soon as I was free, he slammed the brakes on and skidded the bike around to face the blue car and drove full speed into it. I screamed in horror as the bike crumpled like paper underneath the car’s tyres. But Seth had leapt off and landed on the roof of the car. He punched through the roof like a knife through butter and grabbed at the driver’s head. That was the last I saw of him as our car deftly took a side road and the blue car and my best friend disappeared from view.
6. It’s about to get a whole lot weirder
I stared in shock at the spot where Seth had disappeared as Lucas calmly closed the door.
I finally found my voice. ‘We have to go back for him.’
Eli didn’t even look at me as he negotiated the twists and turns of the tiny road at some speed.
My heart hammered against my chest.
‘Eli, turn around, we can’t leave him.’
As the road straightened ahead of us, Eli floored the accelerator, taking us further and further away from Seth.
I needed Seth, more than anything I had to have him by my side.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the roof of the car and a large crater caved in around us. Eli swerved the car violently trying to shake off whatever it was that had landed on us, but nothing fell off. Eli didn’t slow down though and Caleb quickly threw open the back door and climbed out onto the roof. Then I heard him laugh. Eli suddenly slowed and stopped. They all scrambled out but as I tried to join them Lucas pushed me back in. Caleb hopped down from the roof and was followed immediately by Seth who threw me a scowl before he turned back to the Guardians.
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open in shock and relief. ‘Did you fly?’
I saw the scowl slip a bit, a smile fighting on his lips. But he didn’t answer.
‘Did you finish it?’ asked Eli.
‘I didn’t get a chance before she pulled me to her?’ said Seth.
They all looked at me in confusion.
I got out and reluctantly Lucas let me.
‘I did what?’
‘You pulled me to you, which really annoyed me as I was just about to break his neck. Though given your complete lack of knowledge regarding your powers I’m guessing it wasn’t something you did deliberately.’
‘She pulled you, are you sure?’ Caleb looked at me like I was some kind of freak.
‘Well it sure as hell wasn’t something I did.’
I was stunned. ‘I pulled you to me? How did I…’ Suddenly it didn’t matter how I had done it, as relief washed through me. Seth was safe. That was the only thing that mattered. I stepped forward and hugged him tightly and after a few seconds he hugged me back.
The sound of a car engine fast approaching made me tense, though as Seth was still stroking me soothingly, I gathered this car, at least, was no cause for alarm.
I pulled away to see a black Porsche 911 skid to a halt in front of us. The driver, clearly another Guardian by the sheer size of him, got out and tossed Eli the keys, who immediately tossed them to Alexandria.
‘Car swap,’ Eli explained. ‘They’re looking for a silver car, or at the least a car big enough for a team of Guardians. This will hopefully go unnoticed, especially if Alexandria is driving.’
The front bonnet popped open. Eli opened it and then indicated that I should get in.
‘What?’ I was confused for a second before I remembered that the engine was in the back of the car and the boot was in the front.
I walked closer and could see the boot had been extended to encompass most of the passenger side as well. It actually looked quite roomy.
‘Get in.’
I stared at him. ‘Are you kidding?’
*
It turned out Eli wasn’t kidding. Eli didn’t do kidding, I realised, as I lay in the boot listening to the roar of the engine as the Porsche took me further away from any possible attack. The silver car, filled with my Guardians had driven off in the opposite direction to act as a decoy, though Eli was quick to reassure me that if there was an attack on me, they would be able to pull themselves to me in less than a second.
Any room that I thought I might have to stretch out in the boot had quickly disappeared when Lucas had climbed into the boot with me. He was huge, something I only really appreciated now as I was pressed into the walls of the car. It was pitch black but every part of my body was pressed tightly against his.
How was this appropriate? I had met the man less than an hour before and now he was lying almost on top of me in what seemed like a very familiar way. I was glad it was dark, because my cheeks were burning with embarrassment. But I had to be kept safe and any embarrassment or discomfort I was feeling right now had been pushed firmly aside for the sake of my protection.
The Putarians did seem hell bent on my destruction and it only seemed like a matter of time before they tried again.
I felt Lucas attempt to stretch out his legs, pressing me further into the floor of the boot.
‘Comfy?’ I hissed.
‘Not exactly. You?’
I rolled my eyes, safe in the knowledge that he couldn’t see me.
‘I’ll take that as a no,’ he said.
The engine suddenly slowed and then echoed indicating that we had driven into a small room, a garage perhaps. The engine was turned off and light filtered through the tiny cracks in the boot. I heard muffled voices and footsteps and then nothing.
‘I am not spending the rest of the night curled up in here with you.’
And in the limited gloom, I saw him smile.
The boot was suddenly opened and Seth peered in, scowling for some reason at mine and Lucas’s proximity. ‘Looks cosy.’ He pulled me out quickly, still glaring at Lucas.
The other Guardians were there too, the silver car parked next to the Porsche inside a double garage. I followed them into what appeared to be quite a large house.
Quinn was standing in the hall, waiting nervously. ‘We need to talk.’
I looked at him. I had cuddled up to this man when I had nightmares. I had played ball with him over the park. I had put bows on his ears and he had sat patiently throughout. Where the Guardians lacked emotion or love, Quinn’s eyes were filled with it. I nodded. ‘Not tonight though Quinn. It’s been a very long night.’
He frowned slightly but no
dded.
‘I’ll show you to your room,’ said Lucas and I followed him up the stairs. He pushed open the door on a plain white room with a large double bed, already made up with comfy duvets and pillows that made me long for sleep. ‘I’ll be right outside if you need me.’
I nodded, still numb and closed the door. I lay down on top of the bed and stared at the ceiling. My family were dead. I was charged with saving the world. My Guardians were willing to die to save me. There were people that wanted me dead and Seth was going to die.
It was this that brought on the tears, the loss of losing my best friend. Though soon I was crying for my parents and all the deceit too.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Quinn, my dog leapt on the bed. I stared at him in shock for a second, feeling the sudden ache of love I had for him, that I’d always had for him. He nuzzled against my ear with his wet, whiskery nose. And although I knew the truth about him I couldn’t find it in me to be scared, to push him away. I loved my dog and knew he loved me and in a world that had changed drastically in the last few hours, I knew that hadn’t changed. Quinn lay down next to me and his heat, and familiar salty smell, soothed me. I put an arm around him and cried myself to sleep.
*
‘How you doing? You were upset last night?’ said Quinn, twisting a blade of grass between his fingers.
He had insisted we head out for a walk, without the oppressive gaze of the Guardians. And although Abe and Matthew, the Guardians tasked with babysitting our walk, were trying to keep a respectful distance, I knew they were close by. Eli was trying to keep things as normal as possible for me at the moment, but after the multiple attempts on my life the night before, I guessed that walks like this would soon be a thing of the past.
I sat down heavily on the grass and Quinn sat next to me. There had been a frost the night before and the ice seemed to cling to the branches like a white furry skin, glistening where the weak sun filtered through the thick green leaves of the fir trees.
‘My parents are dead Quinn. I know they weren’t really my parents, and they were never good at the loving side of things, but they were still my parents.’
My eyes were sore from all the crying, but I had a new resolve this morning. If they had died to protect me, then their deaths wouldn’t be in vain. I had to embrace this new future. I had to understand everything about this new world that I had been thrust into. I had to master my powers and learn how I was to save the world. My Dad had always taught me that emotions were for the weak. Ironic really that the first time I had properly cried since I could walk was over his death.
‘So this is all a bit weird for you?’ Quinn said.
‘A bit weird? There was a period that I thought I was going insane. Actually I’m not sure that period is over. I’ll probably come down off the medication soon and find myself in a padded cell, laughing manically about how I’m going to save the world. I think finding out my dog is actually a man was the final cherry on the cake.’
‘I’m sorry Eve, I never meant to deceive you, but I was following orders.’ The way he said that, so scathingly, made it very clear what he thought about those orders.
‘You don’t like this stupid secrecy either?’
‘I’m loyal to you Eve, not to the Oraculum and their stupid prophecies. The only reason I went along with it for as long as I did was because they were adamant that this was the best thing for you. I can’t say I agreed but I went along with it anyway.’
‘Don’t you believe in the prophecies then?’
‘I don’t hold a lot of stock in them, no. I believe the future can change depending on the paths we choose to take. I don’t believe that our every move, our every thought has already been mapped out for us. If our future is already laid out for us, if there is nothing we can do to change it, then the Oraculum would have to know every single one of the decisions every single person ever makes. One tiny decision could change everything. No I believe we have free will, I believe that the future is what we make it, not what the Oraculum decide for us.’
‘So why are you loyal to me if you don’t believe in the prophecies?’
Quinn hesitated. ‘I believe you are very special Eve, that great things are going to happen because of you. I believe you will have great power and I also believe that there are those that seek to harm you, to kill you. I agree with the Oraculum there, that you need to be protected. The Guardians are doing a good job with it, I can’t deny that. I wanted to help as well. They weren’t very happy about my involvement though. The Oraculum doesn’t trust shape shifters.’
‘Why?’
‘Because they can’t get in our heads. With the Guardians they communicate with them telepathically, over great distances, they can sense their feelings, their allegiance. But with us they can’t get a read. Pretty cool hey, for the all-seeing, all-knowing Oraculum it’s very frustrating for them, bless ’em. But traditionally, shape shifters are not very trustworthy. We’re a disreputable bunch. Shape shifters are thieves, they con people out of money, they’re double crossers. We’re never caught because we can shift into the tiniest spider or a sea creature of the deepest darkest oceans. We’re not liked very much.’
‘So why would the Oraculum trust you to be near me with such a bad reputation?’
‘Because I pledged my allegiance to you,’ Quinn said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world, then registered my confusion. ‘Seth didn’t explain about the pledge did he?’
‘Sort of. There wasn’t really time for details. He told me all about the Guardians, the prophecies, the fact that my life was in danger and that he was going to die to save me.’
‘Oh that. It’s very noble really, warms the heart,’ Quinn said, sarcastically.
‘Quinn! He’s my best friend, I can’t lose him.’
‘Then don’t. You know my theory on the prophecies. You’re in control of your own future Eve.’
I nodded. ‘I like your theory better than Seth’s right now. Anyway, the pledge?’
‘When we pledge our allegiance, it is a magically binding contract, it’s unbreakable, we can’t undo it, dodge out of it, change our minds, we’re sworn to you for life.’
‘Oh.’
‘So for me to take the pledge, it was clear even to the Oraculum that I was loyal to you. Ha, they wanted me to swear my allegiance to them, to the Oraculum, but I refused to do that. I said I would only pledge my allegiance to you. Nereus, Cain and Helez liked that a lot. It was quite a turning point for the Oraculum. Since you were about two years old all new Guardians have been asked to pledge to you rather than the Oraculum. Most have, but some stay loyal to the Oraculum. For now, it boils down to the same thing. The Oraculum are loyal to you too, but if that were to change, if the Oraculum decided to fight against you, the Guardians would be split down the middle, those that are loyal to you and those that are loyal to the Oraculum. I doubt that would ever happen though. You’re their precious little Sentinel,’ he nudged me playfully.
He suddenly stiffened by my side as a shabby looking man, broke the trees and started walking towards us.
‘What is it,’ I whispered eyeing the man, who seemed to be trying to carry off an air of nonchalance, not very successfully.
‘I don’t know. I just…I don’t like him,’ Quinn mumbled quietly. ‘It’s probably nothing.’
I waited for the man to pass but he suddenly stopped in front of us, pulling out a knife from his pocket.
‘Give me your wallet,’ the man said to Quinn, quietly.
Quinn laughed. I wasn’t sure what was so funny. The knife looked very sharp. I looked around for my Guardians but couldn’t see them.
The man’s lip curled in anger. ‘Look mate, I’m a very good shot with this knife, do you really want to test how good a shot I am. It would be such a shame for your pretty girlfriend to lose an eye.’
‘Look mate,’ echoed Quinn. ‘I strongly suggest that you turn around and walk away, or in about five seconds your day is going to get a
lot worse.’
‘Suit yourself.’ The man shrugged and flipped the knife round in his hand ready to throw it. In the split second it took for the man to take aim, he immediately regretted the decision. One second Quinn was sitting calmly next to me, the next a powerful black panther pounced on the man, sending him sprawling onto his back. The panther snarled, savagely as he stood on the man’s chest, his dripping jaws and huge sharp teeth just millimetres from the man’s throat. The man screamed and sobbed, trying to fight off the panther but it was much too strong for him.
I was stunned. I hadn’t even noticed the two Guardians had come to stand either side of me until one stepped forward to talk to Quinn.
‘Quinn, that’s enough,’ said Abe, quietly.
Quinn growled ferociously but didn’t relinquish his hold. The panther looked over at me and I nodded. ‘It’s ok Quinn, let him go.’
Immediately the panther let the man go, backing off him into a sitting position. The man quickly got up and ran sobbing for the trees.
I sat staring at Quinn in shock and bewilderment. He nuzzled against me, purring like an oversized domestic house cat. I stroked his ears absently.
‘Great,’ Matthew said, sarcastically. ‘Now we’ll have reports of giant panther sightings.’
‘I doubt anyone will believe him,’ Abe said.
‘Still, you should have let us handle it Quinn.’
Quinn growled quietly in response. I knew the growl was his way of saying that they had been too late.
I shook my head in bemused shock. Just twenty four hours before I was lying in my bed, convinced there was something a little bit kooky with the world. I had never expected my life to change so dramatically. Life really would never be the same again. How I envied the me of yesterday, still firmly in my little safe world. I looked down at my feet stretched out in front of me, at my beloved red converse trainers. I had bought them years before because they had looked cool on David Tennant in Doctor Who, but now I thought about another pair of famous red shoes. Clicking my heels together I whispered quietly. ‘There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home,’ to see if it made any difference to this weird reality.