“And that is?”
“They are humans…”
“Good! That should bother you!”
“I didn’t finish. They are humans and yet they have the ability to fly. I have seen evidence that they also have many other abilities, powers, magic, whatever you wish to call it. I have seen it and I can sense it. All that I’ve seen and sensed, however, feels like merely the tip of the iceberg.” Jack waited for his words to sink in.
“That is concerning,” Darrien nodded. “And you say that they survived some chunk of the island without your assistance?”
“This is true,” said Jack as he looked to the floor and sighed. “You do understand that we may have to tell them about our history. They are not like their own kind. They will have to learn it for both the kingdom’s sake, and theirs.”
Darrien ran a gloved hand through his gray ink-stained hair and chuckled. “You always were a troublesome boy.”
“Who said I ever stopped?”
Alex’s bare feet sank in the scorching sand. Argent walked beside him as the others ran ahead. Children were scattered about the beach, running up and down the sand and swimming into the depths of the ocean. A man in a boat moved his glowing hands up and down as fish bathed in the same glow left the sea and flopped into his boat.
“Come one, come all! Into the sea!” Brooke shouted as she ran toward the water.
“But we don’t have any extra clothes!” David told her.
“Who cares?” Nicole grabbed his arm and dragged him into the water. As David and Nicole ran past Alex and Mark, David squirmed out of Nicole’s grip and latched himself onto Mark’s and Alex’s wrists, dragging them behind him.
The warm water splashed against their faces, and they threw their arms up instinctively to protect their eyes from the sprays. Alex found it difficult to swim with a giant sword on his back along with a leather jacket weighing him down, but he didn’t find it safe to part with it in this strange world. Afraid he might damage them, he placed his sword and sheath on the beach anyway, along with his jacket. It was funny, Alex thought. No matter what happened to them, the storm, the shark, the cavern, the cliff, they always found themselves running into the water as though they had no cares in the world.
They splashed and wrestled and swam and played. Before they knew it, the sun had begun to sink into the horizon once again. They reluctantly made their way out of the water and scooped up their shoes from the sand, which were guarded by a sleeping cat that was not particularly fond of water. The five walked back to the shop completely drenched and barefoot, carrying their shoes and socks. Argent refused to rest upon Alex’s soaking shoulders. Instead, he strutted by his side, avoiding any falling drops of water.
Jack and Darrien laughed loudly as they recalled a fond memory. They quieted down once they heard the door open and laughing from the front of the shop. Jack tilted back in his chair and pulled back the curtain separating the shop from the room he was in.
“We are back here!” Jack called, fully aware of who had entered the shop.
“We can’t come in any farther than this! We will just wait until you are done!” Nicole called from the door.
“Yeah, we’re still wet!” David said with a laugh.
Darrien and Jack exchanged a confused glance before standing up and making their way through the shelves and stacks of scrolls to the front of the shop. When they rounded the last shelf, they stood staring at the soaked teens before them.
“Why in the world are you drenched in water?” Jack asked, slightly raising his voice.
“We hung out at the beach. No big deal. We’ll dry sooner or later,” said Brooke as she rolled her eyes.
“Do you want to get sick? Because in clothes like that, that is what will happen. I don’t want to have to be looking after five sick human teenagers. I already have enough on my plate,” Jack said as he scolded them and waved a glowing hand in front of them. A dark purple smoky cloud formed above them and lowered onto them, drying their clothes in the process. Darrien leaned against a shelf and smiled, watching the exchange before him. Once they were dry, Darrien walked up behind Jack and whispered in his ear.
“You sure they aren’t your kids?” Darrien chuckled as Jack growled and opened his mouth to protest. “All righty then!” Darrien clapped his hands together before Jack could speak. “It has gotten awfully late! You had your fun, but I really must kick you out!”
Jack pushed them out of the shop and waved goodbye as Darrien locked the door behind them. He stood in front of the window and watched as they turned the corner and out of sight. He sighed and turned back to his shop, immediately setting to work. He had some tickets to retrieve.
“What’s his job?” Mark asked as they walked along the now-dark street back to the hotel. “I figured he just ran a bookstore, but when I saw the back room I wasn’t quite so sure.”
“He’s a cartographer,” Jack told him. “I told you about him a while ago. He’s the friend I said we had to go visit. The books in that store are all based on travel and maps and past cartographers and so on. Darrien and I go quite a ways back. He is a good man.”
The exhausted group remained silent as the elevator moved upward. All were eager to return to their beds, except for one. Everyone had fallen asleep only moments after their arrival. Alex, however, was not at all tired and found himself lying awake and bored. Finally giving up, Alex came to the conclusion that he would not be sleeping that night. Since they were in the city, he could not see the stars so he had nothing to occupy himself with.
Alex quietly stood and stealthily moved past a sleeping Jack. Argent perked his head up at the sudden movement and meowed at Alex. Alex turned to the small black cat curled up by the window. He moved his finger up to his lips and the cat ceased the noise. He turned back around and began walking to the door. As he walked, his foot collided with the dresser and he yelped in pain. The dresser wobbled against the wall, and Alex thrust his hands forward to steady it.
“Where do you think you are going?” Jack whispered. Alex looked up at Jack in surprise. He was hoping to take his leave going unnoticed.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” Alex apologized. “I’m heading out.”
“Why do you feel the need to leave?” Jack asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. I’m going to look for a bookstore. I won’t be gone all night,” Alex replied.
Jack nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, closing his eyes. Alex whispered his thanks and proceeded to make his way to the door. As he reached for the handle, he felt something soft brush past his legs. Alex looked down to see Argent rubbing his leg. The feline jumped up onto Alex’s shoulders, and Alex snuck out the door, closing it softly behind him.
Alex pulled his headphones over his ears as he walked down the busy city street. People walked back and forth, all in their own hurry and keeping to themselves. Alex occasionally saw kids of different ages walking or hanging out in groups, but mostly he was the only one of his age out on the street. He scanned the buildings as he went by, in search of a bookstore.
Finally, he found one on the opposite side of the street. Once there was a break in traffic, Alex made his way across. The shop was a six story building. Above the doorway was a sign that read, “The Timekeeper’s Books.” Alex stepped inside and was welcomed by a warm, bright light.
In a circular room with a high ceiling— so high, in fact, that Alex couldn’t see the top. It was strange, bigger inside than outside. The walls were lined with books and bookshelves that rose high in the air. They were the tallest Alex had ever seen. Ladders with wheels leaned against the bookshelves that allowed the customers to reach higher. A cloud lingered above him and prevented him from seeing any farther above, obscuring the ceiling and more floors. The books extended both below and above the clouds. A staircase spiraled around the room and led up to small platforms next to the books. The platforms then moved aroun
d so that every book was within arm’s reach. Candles floated in the air, surrounded by gold light, lighting up the room. Not a single shadow was to be seen. People roamed the shop and perused the books. Next to Alex was a long, smooth wooden checkout counter. Five candles floated, spaced out, only inches from the wooden surface. A man, two women, and a boy around the age of eight sat behind the counter.
The boy was perched on a stool; he sat, hunched over, absorbed in a book. The kid wore brown pants with the cuffs rolled up to his calves and a black hoodie with the sleeves pushed up above his elbows. The hood was pulled up over his head, obscuring his face from view. The man standing beside him looked to be about fifty with a strong build, gray hair and equally gray eyes. He wore a green vest over a white T-shirt and brown pants. His shoes were made of brown leather and shone slightly beneath the candle-light. On the other side of the boy, farther down the counter, was a plump woman with gray hair and gray eyes. Her black glasses rested on her nose and a chain connected them to her pink floral-patterned shirt. Her long wavy tan skirt matched perfectly with her tan flats. Lastly, was the slim woman at the end. This gray-eyed woman looked about thirty. Her long brown hair was pinned up in a bun, and she wore a long black sweater and gray pants. Black high heels were the same shade of black as her sweater. As the man busily flipped through files, the two women were taking care of the customers that were standing in line, ready to buy their books of choice.
Alex closed his mouth, which, he discovered, had been open in astonishment. He walked into an aisle between shelves and began to look at the spines of books. When he got to the ladder at the end of the aisle, he climbed it and began to pull himself across the shelf, reading the spines as he went. He picked one up and read the red cover. The title was written in some other language that he couldn’t understand. Alex moved to put the book back but stopped when he saw the title again. This time it was written in English. That was weird. Alex pulled the book back and read the cover: “Understanding a Dragon.” The letters looped and swirled in fine gold print. Below the title was a gold silhouette of a dragon curled into a ball. Alex turned his head and looked at Argent questioningly.
“You can turn into a cat and a lion. Can you turn into a dragon, too?” Alex asked the small black cat. Argent picked his head up off of his paws and meowed before setting his head back down and closing his eyes. “I’ll take that as a no then,” said Alex as he slid the book back onto the shelf and paused.
“If magic exists and you exist, does that mean dragons exist too?” Alex muttered under his breath. That shed a whole new light on things. What else is real that he thought for so long was a lie? Alex began to climb down the ladder but stopped halfway when he heard a grunt and a crash below him. He looked down to see the boy sprawled across the floor, covered in books.
Alex climbed down the rest of the rails and ran quickly to the boy’s aid. He immediately began to gather up the books scattered about the floor into a neat pile as the boy, seemingly unharmed, did the same. They continued to do this in silence until the job was done. That was when Alex was able to get a good look at the kid. His face was covered from the hood pulled over his head, so Alex was unable to make out the boy’s face or hair. But what he hadn’t noticed before was that the youngster was barefoot. The skin on his feet was rough and dirty from repeated exposure to the hard ground.
“Are you all right?” Alex asked as he handed a stack of books to the boy.
“Thanks for the help,” the boy muttered as he took the books and walked off. Alex watched as he walked to the end of the aisle and placed one of the books in an empty slot before moving on. Alex jogged after the kid and caught up with him.
“So… what’cha doin’?” Alex asked as he followed the boy.
“Putting books away. What’s it look like?” the boy asked.
“Oh. Right. Having fun?”
“Before I met you? Yeah. I was.”
The boy turned and walked to the other side of the aisle. Alex ignored his remark and continued to follow him.
“So, how old are you?”
“I’m eight.”
“You seem much more mature for your age. My name is—”
“Alex. I know.”
Alex stared wide-eyed at the boy. How did he know his name?
“You mean you’ve been talking to me this whole time and you didn’t know?” The boy asked, turning slightly toward Alex but making sure to keep his face covered.
“Know what?”
“Never mind,” said the young sales clerk as he made his way to the shelves connected to the walls, ignoring Alex as he walked. Or at least, showing as little attention to him as possible.
“Well, since you already know my name, I think it’s only appropriate that I know yours.” Alex crossed his arms and stood behind the boy as he waited for him to put the last book in the stack on the shelf.
“Etha—” The boy froze in place as he realized what he was doing. He clenched his fist and spun around. He whipped his hood off, revealing a boy with dull gray eyes and raven black hair. “How am I talking to you?” The boy whispered harshly. Alex cocked his head innocently as a mischievous smirk spread across his face.
“First, you open your mouth and your brain coordinates your stomach muscles, voice box, lungs, lips, tongue, teeth, and your nose to create any noise, words, or speech. This then allows others to understand any message you wish to convey to them. Sometimes you even engage in meaningful conversation! It really is magic!” Alex explained sarcastically.
The boy growled in response and stormed off. Alex quickly followed.
“Hey! I didn’t really catch your name,” Alex said to him once he caught up to the agitated child.
“Are you going to leave me alone at all?” the boy complained.
“Probably not, no,” said Alex with a chuckle.
“It’s Ethan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ethan.” Alex darted in front of the boy and stuck his hand out. Ethan stared at Alex’s hand with wide eyes. Reluctantly, he took Alex’s hand and shook it slowly.
“Are you usually this annoying?”
“Actually, no. Not usually.”
“That’s good to know,” said Ethan as he let go of Alex’s grip and stared at him suspiciously. Alex dropped the playful attitude when he noticed the distrust in the boy’s eyes.
“What’s up?” Alex asked.
“You know what I am, don’t you? So why are you talking to me?” Ethan asked. Venom coated his voice.
“Because I can. Can’t I? Or are you some super-important prince that I need to stay away from for security reasons?”
“No. I’m not,” Ethan sighed as if some great burden was upon his shoulders.
“Then what are you so worried about?”
“I’m a—”
“Ethan! What are you doing?” A voice shouted from the end of the aisle. Alex and Ethan both turned to see the man from the front desk running at them. His face was coated with concern. When he finally caught up to the two boys, he seemed to notice Alex for the first time. His whole expression changed to that of menace when he saw Alex.
“What are you doing to my grandson?” The man jabbed a strong finger into Alex’s chest, forcing him to back up a step. The stranger continued to step forward, pushing Alex back. Alex threw his hands up in the air to show he meant no harm when his back came in contact with a shelf.
“Are you harassing him? What are you doing?” the man repeated.
“Sir, I am very sorry if I did anything wrong, but I was unaware of it. Can I ask what I might have done? I am not here to cause any trouble,” Alex said firmly, not breaking eye contact with the frustrated man.
The man’s eyes widened at Alex’s reaction but quickly narrowed. There was a strong resemblance between the man and Ethan, especially their eyes. The encounter between Alex and the grandfather caught the boy’s atte
ntion. Ethan cleared his throat and walked up to his grandfather.
“Relax. He didn’t mean any harm,” Ethan said. Immediately, the man relaxed and his expression softened. But his eyes remained fixed on Alex. Alex leaned off the shelf and began to pick up the few books that had fallen. Ethan and the man watched as Alex gathered the books and exchanged confused glances.
“So is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” Alex asked once all of the books were gathered.
“My name is Mr. Epoch. My question for you is, why were you talking to Ethan?” Mr. Epoch asked.
“Again, with this question! Can’t a kid just talk to someone without anyone jumping to conclusions?” Alex threw his hands up in the air in annoyance.
“I don’t think he knows what we are,” Ethan whispered in Mr. Epoch’s ear.
“It’s strange. Most anyone can sense what we are immediately,” Mr. Epoch whispered back.
“What don’t I know?” Alex asked, having heard their poorly hidden exchange of words. Mr. Epoch straightened and sternly looked Alex in the eye.
“We are Pardictors,” Mr. Epoch said. Alex stared back at them in confusion.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Alex asked.
“You… don’t know what a Pardictor is?” Ethan asked. Ethan and Mr. Epoch stared at Alex in astonishment.
“Should I?” Alex asked. “Why are you people so bewildered over this?”
“I am terribly sorry for my irrational actions. They were false but I assure you, they were appropriate. May I ask what you are? What is your race? I like to ask people before seeing myself,” Mr. Epoch added.
“What do you mean by what am I?” Alex asked.
“What species are you?” Ethan translated.
“Um… I’m human,” Alex said hesitantly. “Aren’t you human?”
Mr. Epoch and Ethan stepped back in shock. Their eyes were wide and mouths agape as they stared at Alex in disbelief.
“Dear God! A human! On Alsjin! It’s not possible!” Mr. Epoch cried.
The Abnormals: Book One Page 29