Trinity Found: The Lost Daughter Of Angor Series - Book 1

by Settle Myer

  I round the corner of the cabin to the backyard where Reed told me to meet him. My anger from mulling over my life still rampant, and all I want to do is punch and kick everything in sight. A white bucket goes flying. A wheel barrel in my path knocked over. A green hose soars through the air like those terrifying gliding snakes I’ve seen on nature shows. Before I realize I'm the one on a path of destruction, Reed is knocked out cold on the ground.

  I run to his side, Julian not far behind me.

  “Reed! Oh, my God! Are you okay?” I slap his cheeks lightly.

  “If looks could kill, or in this case, a killer right hook,” Julian jokes.

  “Not funny!

  Reed groggily wakes up from a moment of unconsciousness.

  “Your Grace, this is exactly why we need to get your virtues in check,” he mumbles, likely angry that an eighteen-year-old princess mentally slugged him.

  “I am so sorry.” I offer him a hand. He begrudgingly accepts.

  Reed wipes the dirt and grass off him then points at a log. “Sit. Don’t think about anything.”

  I cringe and sit as told. Julian stands next to Reed, arms crossed with a smirk on his face. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he quickly drops his grin.

  Reed paces in front of me like a drill sergeant addressing a team of recruits. Perhaps, he really is a drill sergeant back on Angor. Should I stand? Salute him? Call him Sir?

  “First, let’s go through all your virtues,” Reed starts, holding up a hand to raise fingers while we list my powers. “Telekinesis, strength, affinity, mind-melding, and altering. Can you read minds?”

  I nod and cringe. “Yes. Though, sometimes I wish I couldn’t.”

  “If you were anyone else, you wouldn’t be able to read the minds of Royal Guards,” Reed says. “We have permanent mind shields in place to avoid rebels delving into our thoughts. It would be a huge security risk. However, Royals are powerful enough to push past those shields.”

  I cower as guilt engulfs me. The team’s used to having complete privacy due to the mental shields. Yet, here I was prying on their most personal thoughts.

  “Don’t feel bad,” Reed says. “They know the risks of being around a Royal. Besides, you need to practice that virtue. It’s a very helpful one to have. Have any other virtues emerged?”

  “I’m assuming she can manipulate the elements,” Julian adds. “With the wind and lights from... um, when we...” Julian’s cheeks pink, and he turns away.

  “That makes sense because I was somehow pulling from energy sources on the highway when I stopped those bullets.”

  Reed nods, folding his arms as he continues to pace in front of me. “Let’s start with mind-melding. It's all about building your tolerance. This is what Angorians are taught even before their virtues emerge. We teach them how to control that power one step at a time. Okay, stand for me,” Reed says, and I oblige. “Julian, come over here.”

  Julian’s eyes widen, and he stops picking at the bark on the massive pine tree next to him. He drops his shoulders and walks over like a little kid told to do the chores.

  “Take her hands,” Reed commands. Julian does, stingily. “Your Grace, close your eyes, and I want you to reach into Julian’s mind. We use mind-melding to gather information. It’s slightly different from mind-altering, which is used to manipulate thoughts resulting in physical actions. Or it’s used on humans who witness our abilities, and we need to erase what they saw and replace it with another experience.”

  I wish I had a notepad to take down notes during this Virtues 101 lesson. I’m more of a visual learner. My memory, not the best when it comes to school. I frown momentarily, realizing I will never get to complete my senior year of high school. Would I get the chance upon returning to Angor? Or attend Angor’s version of high school and college?

  Reed continues. “Now, you’ll know you’ve reached your limit when you start to feel your heart beat faster. You’ll become overheated and light-headed. That’s when you pull back. That's your virtue overpowering your body. Ignoring the physical warnings will lead to blackouts. This is why practicing is crucial. Over time, you’ll build a tolerance.”

  I nod and close my eyes. The process of melding my mind with Julian’s is like operating a movie projector. The machine to play out the film sits in my brain, and the screen is in Julian’s head. And today’s feature film dates back to a sixteen-year-old Julian. His first day at training camp with a newly emerged virtue destined to become a Royal Guard. He wears sweats and a sweatshirt, all grey, and sits across from a young man in similar attire. They are practicing their mind-altering abilities on each other when what I assume to be a counselor walks up to where they sit. The young woman with perfect carob skin, and black hair in a tight-bun wears a dark blue scrub-like outfit to match the other counselors I see walking around campus.

  “Julian, could you please come with me,” she says solemnly.

  Julian follows the woman, and they end up inside a cold, morose office. No decorations on the wall, no color. Dread pulls at my nerves. Was it my dread or Julian’s? I didn’t know. An older man with bright white hair and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth enters, wearing a similar scrub outfit but in red. I've gathered these scrub outfits and the colors depend on rank. This man must be someone important because I do not see many reds around the camp.

  “I have some bad news,” he begins, rubbing his face. “I’m afraid your mother has taken ill.”

  At that moment, my heart starts pounding as fast as a snare drum in a high school drumline. I fight the urge to stay because I want to hear what else this man has to say about Julian’s mother. But the entire purpose of this exercise is to learn how to control my virtues. I pull back, like a spaceship traveling in reverse at warp speed.

  Julian rips his hands away and storms off. I start after him, but Reed blocks me with his arm.

  “Did I choose what to see, or was it him?” Tears envelop my voice.

  “What was the last thing you thought before reaching into his mind?”

  I wipe away a few escaped tears. “I wanted to know more about Julian. About his life and family.”

  “Then, you were the one to bring up those memories,” Reed says, solemnly.

  “I wish you would have told me that before I brought up a painful moment in Julian’s life,” I wrap my arms around my body, attempting to hold back the tears that threaten to pour down like a waterfall. “Is she... did she...”

  Reed nods. “A week later.”

  I pull the bottom of my t-shirt to wipe away my tears.

  “How do I control the affinity virtue? I hate it the most. I’m not strong enough to handle my emotions, let alone everyone else’s,” I say, my voice rough from the seemingly never-ending stream of waterworks.

  “I understand that Julian is somewhat of a conduit for your affinity? He can funnel those emotions so they do not hit you so hard?”

  I shrug. “I suppose. Though it’s not just other people’s emotions. He can also calm down my own. It's like a button. He will hold my hand and squeeze my palm once, and I instantly relax.”

  Reed processes this information, managing not to show any sort of expression across his rock-hard yet beautifully perfect face.

  “Chanel told me about the anima mate possibility. So, it could be that. You two haven’t...”

  “No!” I screech, feeling my face light up red.

  He holds up his hands, and the corner of his mouth turns up. He is quick to hide that momentary humor, but I saw it.

  “My best advice to control affinity is to throw up shields. That can be anything from focusing your attention on an object or remembering a happy memory. If you’re in a car, count the trees as you pass by. Or imagine being at the beach. Whatever you can do to block those emotions being thrown your way. You'll likely still feel the energy, but those shields can help block it from changing your demeanor,” Reed explains.

  We walk over to a row of poles sticking out of the ground. On top of each one, empty beer bott
les. “Now you know how to mind-meld. It's that simple. You picture what information you want to know and, once you meld with someone’s mind, that memory will replay before you.”

  He waves me forward, closer to the row of wooden poles.

  “Telekinesis. This will be your most challenging virtue to control. Though, I am impressed you stopped those bullets and threw an entire damn mini-van at those rebels.”

  “It’s almost as if my anger and fear fuel these virtues. Like with the mugger. I was terrified, but my survival instinct kicked in. Flight or fight. I fought.”

  Reed nods. “Makes sense. For some, especially Royals, becoming accustomed to these virtues comes naturally. Like eating and breathing.”

  Reed points at the first bottle.

  “You have to start small with telekinesis and build your mental capacity so you’re able to handle the larger objects like vehicles. Now, I want you to go down this row and knock the bottles down one by one. Sense the molecules in the glass, picture it tipping over and falling to the ground. Let the energy throughout your body pour out to make it happen.”

  I follow every step Reed barks out. The first bottle took some time, teetering on the pole a few times before toppling over.

  “I did it!” I clap and jump up and down. Reed holds up his hand, and I give him a high five.

  After the first bottle, knocking down the rest was easy peasy. My struggles, however, were trying to keep my mind wandering, searching the area for Julian’s presence. Where did he go? I brought him back to a devastating point in his life, and I was sure he hated me now.

  Chapter 7

  Reed spent three hours training me. He wasn’t all too surprised at the progress I made, explaining that Royals tend to become accustomed to the virtues faster than others. But he still gave me homework. Basically, he wants me to use my virtues with any chance I get. Even the smallest thing like dipping into someone’s mind or rearranging the cabin’s living room using my telekinesis. He also wants me to train with each protector to learn about their virtues and how they’re able to control them. Of course, that’s only if we find time between running from rebels.

  Julian never returned, so I set out to find him. I follow a small hiking trail behind the cabin. Skyler tags along since, apparently, I'm not allowed to be by myself despite being more powerful than any of the men and women protecting me. Or perhaps Chanel sent him to make sure Julian and I behave.

  Time for virtue practice. I tap into the energy from the trees, ground, and wind to guide me to Julian. It's not that I can communicate with nature, that’s silly. Though, I've heard talking to plants will help them grow. The way I manipulate the environment is simply feeling the particles and atoms in the air, the sun that feeds the leaves, and the imprints left on the ground from the many people who’ve passed through. Then I compile everything given to me and map it all out in my head. I still don’t know exactly how it happens, but it just magically comes together for me.

  I find Julian sitting on a bluff, overlooking a calm river below. He's picking up rocks and shredding weeds, then throwing them into the water. I hold up my hand to let Skyler know I can handle it from here. He actually stays put and lets me be alone with Julian. Hopefully, he wasn't breaking Chanel’s rule.

  “What you did back there... you had no right,” Julian says, not looking back at me.

  “I know,” I say quietly.

  “Then, why?”

  “I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to know more about you. About your life.”

  “Then you should have asked me.” Julian picks up a football-sized rock and tosses it over the edge. Seconds later, a plop in the water below.

  I sit next to Julian, and he still refuses to look at me.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “Fair enough. But please, Julian, you can’t be mad at me for something I didn’t know. That is why I am training. To learn what not to do.”

  He finally glances my way. And defeat radiates off him. I take his hand, locking my fingers with his, and this time, I'm the one to squeeze. The corner of his mouth curls up.

  “Are you trying to cast my calming spell on me?” he laughs.

  “Did it work?”

  “A little.”

  We sit in silence for a few moments, holding hands while listening to birds chirping and bugs singing. I sigh at the tranquility from the water flowing in the river below. It’s fed by a waterfall tucked away in a cove a few feet away. It’s as tall as my five-story apartment building in Harlem. I long for this peace to last forever. Perhaps, this is what my life will be like on Angor, a world I am anxious to call home.

  “Can you show me a good memory? Or your favorite place in Angor?” Julian’s eyes are closed. A faint breeze lifts his sun-kissed locks off his forehead.

  He frowns, and a hint of unease pinches my heart.

  “You don’t have to. It’s fine,” I blurt, worried I had ventured into unspoken territory with the closed-off guardian.

  Julian shakes his head, forcing a smile on his sullen face. “It’s not that I don’t want to share my life with you... I just...” He runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t have many happy memories, is all.”

  I bring our interlocked hands to my lips and kiss Julian’s knuckles. His entire body seems to sigh beside me.

  “My mother went into a depression after my father was killed. She barely took care of me. I was basically raised by my Aunt Kate.” Julian returns to picking at the grass growing out of cracks and throwing tiny rocks over the bluff into the water. “I was ten when Aunt Kate got sick and died.”

  “Oh, Julian. I’m so sorry.”

  He shrugs. “Her death was like some sort of wake-up call for my mother. She finally got help. She went to therapy; they gave her medicine. She was just too stubborn to utilize it before. Anyway, after she got better, our relationship grew stronger. She was truly a parent to me. And then on my first day of training for the guard...”

  I place a gentle kiss on Julian’s shoulder, then rest my forehead in the same spot. He wipes away a few tears and clears his throat. “All my memories are with the loved ones who have died.”

  I lift my head and reach my palm to his cheek. I was desperate to keep talking to Julian and learn more about his life. But Julian clears his throat and stands. It catches me off guard, and I topple to the ground. My chin breaks the fall, scrapping against the hard rock surface.

  “Ow...”

  Julian squats down and holds out his hand. “Oh, damn. My bad.”

  I begrudgingly take his hand, and he pulls me to my feet. He takes my chin between his thumb to inspect my injury.

  “Just a scratch,” he whispers, letting his sweet mint mocha breath fan across my mouth.

  My eyes dance between his eyes and lips, which he inches closer to my own. I shut my eyes, ready for another round of intoxicating kisses until...

  “Julian, your Grace!”

  Dammit, Skyler!

  “We have a babysitter now, apparently,” I mumble to Julian. He sighs, and a tinge of relief singes my nerves. Like Skyler’s interruption saved him from my attempts to seduce him. I frown, thinking it’s time for me to give Julian distance. Is he’s struggling that much with the anima mate that he feels nothing but relief when we don’t give in? Perhaps Chanel was right. He shouldn’t be my personal protector.

  I’m about to voice my concerns until Julian intertwines his fingers with mine. For someone who doesn’t want to give in, he sure can’t stop with the physical contact. Okay... so, sex verrry bad. Kissing? Basically, a gateway drug to sex. Hand holding? Appropriate. Got it.

  We return to the cabin to a frantic Chanel on the phone, pacing the living room. Rosie, Reed, and Chad stand in a half-circle, arms crossed, waiting.

  “What’s going on?” Julian commands. He joins the half-circle, and I'm right by his side.

  “The clean-up crew missed a video. It's been posted online, and it’s going viral,” Rosie says, shaking h
er head. “We’re just waiting to see if we’ve been compromised and need to lay low for a while.”

  “Clean-up crew?”

  “Remember what Reed said earlier in training? After the chase and battle on the highway, we sent in a team of Angorians who wipe and alter minds, find videos that were taken and erase them and handle first responders who arrive at the scene. We have an entire department dedicated to scanning for leaked videos and instantly deleting them from existence. It is vital that we keep our existence a secret. Do you know what would happen if the U.S. Government got word we are here? They would start a war, threatened by our powers. We wouldn’t be accepted. And then scientists would experiment on us...” Julian’s words trail off.

  “I think using our powers for good, like superheroes, would be a good thing. Like in the Marvel movies. They are really popular.” I offer.

  Julian shakes his head slowly. “It’s not something the King wants to risk. Mostly because we do not trust Earth humans. They seem to ruin a lot of good things they’re given. Though, if we cannot contain this leak, we may be forced to go that route.”

  Chanel hangs up, pressing the phone between her hands. “Okay, we have mind-altering agents at the home of the man who posted the video. They will convince him to make a video explaining that it was all fake, just a special effects project he’s been working on. We'll make sure to create a video showing how he made this so-called viral video.” Chanel’s entire body relaxes, and the rest of the half-circle lets out a collective breath.

  “We got lucky,” Julian says, then turns to leave the room.

  Rosie rolls her eyes at Julian’s dramatics. She walks up to me and pats my shoulder lightly. “It’s being taken care of. Nothing to worry about.”