To the Falls

by Heather Renee

  I heard Jordan say something, but I missed the question while lost in thought.

  “Huh? Sorry I’m distracted today. I haven’t been sleeping well and it’s throwing me off.”

  “Why aren’t you sleeping well? You’re usually the only one who does, Miss I need at least seven hours of sleep a night.” Jordan replied with a laugh.

  “You know that dream I always have?” I said. “Well, it’s always been exactly the same, but for some reason, it’s changed over the last two days. It’s made me feel,” I paused to try and think of how I felt, but words failed me. “I don’t know how to describe it, just off.”

  “How has it changed? Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” She was suddenly more interested in my dream than she’d ever been before.

  “I didn’t think it was important,” I said. “It’s just that the place I visit is usually so colorful and peaceful, but the colors haven’t been as vibrant the last two nights. I get this strong pull to go through the trees toward the large waterfall and I get a heavy pressure in my chest.” I rubbed my chest. “When I get to the part of the dream when I try to go into the forest, it feels as if I’m being shoved out of it, literally. It’s the strangest feeling. My chest physically hurts when I wake up and I am drenched in sweat.”

  The pressure in my chest hadn’t completely eased since it started yesterday morning either.

  The pale look on Jordan’s face didn’t make me feel any better about my dream. She was starting to freak me out. I thought the dream was nothing more than my exhaustion catching up to me, but I wondered what she could know that I wouldn’t about my own dreams.

  “Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?” I asked.

  “What? I do not.” She tried to laugh it off, but it was awkward to say the least.

  “So, are you excited to celebrate your birthday with your parents tonight?” Jordan asked with a little too much enthusiasm.

  “You know that was a horrible change of subject, but I’ll let it slide for now since we’re almost there. Of course I’m excited. My parents always give me something meaningful and with a purpose.” A girl only needed so many bath products before it became overwhelming.

  “I’m sure this year will be no different,” Jordan said. “Your parents are the best.”

  I nodded my agreement and continued driving down I-84. We spent the rest of the drive listening to our favorite playlists. I didn’t feel like trying to pry information out of Jordan and make things tense right before we got to my parents. This was supposed to be an evening for celebrating, not worrying.

  When we reached the house, my parents were waiting on the wrap-around wood porch as we got out of the car.

  “Girls!” My mom squealed. “I’m so glad you both could come.”

  Mom was always excited to see us. I tried to get her out of the house more and make friends, but she insisted she was happy at her waterfall and didn’t need anything except her family. Jordan, of course, was part of that family.

  “I wouldn’t miss this, Dalila.” Jordan smirked and again I wondered what she knew. She’d had that smirk on her face way too often lately. “Good to see you too, Brooks,” She said as she hugged my dad.

  My parents both looked too young to have an almost twenty-year-old daughter, not a wrinkle could be seen on their faces. My dad was of average height, short blond hair and a permanent five o’clock shadow. My mom was petite like me. Our hair was the exact same shade of brown except I had some natural highlights that I assumed came from my dad’s blond hair. She was a couple inches shorter than me but carried herself like she was six-feet tall.

  My parents also had matching gray-blue eyes that reminded me of a stormy day. I wasn’t sure where my teal-blue eyes came from, but they’d always assured me the color came from a distant relative that passed before I was born.

  “Come on in, girls,” My dad gestured to the door. “We have dinner almost done, so we can eat and then give Kaliah her present.”

  “Yes, dinner first and then the birthday gift.” Mom agreed eagerly as we walked through the front door.

  “I smell it already, you made my favorite.” My mouth was watering at the aroma. “It’s been a while since we had sweet meatballs. Thanks, Mom.”

  My mom made the best meatballs. Perfect level of sweetness to make anyone’s mouth water and their taste buds go wild.

  “Of course, sweetheart. It is in celebration of your birthday. I wouldn’t dream of cooking anything else.” She smiled warmly.

  I really did have the best parents.

  After dinner, we went to the family room. I sat in my favorite oversized chair by the fireplace and Jordan joined me. I didn’t know why, but I was extremely nervous. While dinner tasted delicious as usual, the room felt tense. My parents and Jordan kept staring at each other awkwardly like they were having a conversation I couldn’t hear. I wasn’t so sure I wanted my gift anymore.

  “Kaliah, we have a very special gift for you this year. We’d like you to open it and then we can tell you more about it, okay?” Mom handed me the gift.

  “Um… sure Mom.” I wiped the sweat from my palms on my jeans first and took the gift.

  I opened the gift carefully and inside was a beautiful book or maybe it was a journal? I wasn’t sure yet, but I could tell just by holding the book that it was special. I had goosebumps along my arms and a shiver ran through my whole body.

  I glanced closer at the front of the book and gasped. The large waterfall from my dream. It was right there, engraved on the leather cover. But how? Down at the bottom, I saw my name printed as well, Kaliah May Atwater. I looked at my parents in shock with my mouth hanging open.

  “Where did you get this, Mom? Where is this waterfall from? I’ve seen it before, but not around here.” My heart was beating extremely fast and the heaviness in my chest once again made itself known.

  “This is the waterfall from your dreams, yes?” Mom asked.

  I nodded stunned into silence. How did she know that?

  “The waterfall is called Arvata Falls and it’s from where you were born. Where we all were born actually.” She gestured to Dad and Jordan.

  “Ar-what? And why have I never heard of it before now?” I asked.

  “Ar-vay-tah.” Dad sounded out. “And you’ve never heard of it before because you weren’t old enough to know the story of our family then, but you are now. Or at least you will be tomorrow. We can now give you this book and tell you more about your family history if that’s okay with you. We understand if you need a few moments.”

  I’d never seen my dad so nervous before. His hands were fidgety and his knee wouldn’t stop bouncing, but was he kidding me? I wasn’t old enough before and hell yes, they better be explaining things better. I lived my whole life believing I was born and raised here in the Pacific Northwest, not some place I knew nothing about until it appeared in my dreams a year ago.

  “I don’t understand. We were all born there? Jordan too? Why am I dreaming of a place I don’t remember ever seeing before?”

  This is just too much. My exhaustion had caused hallucinations. Yup, that’s it. Hallucinations. Perfect explanation for all this crazy talk.

  “Yes, I was born there too.” Jordan said. “Don’t freak out, Kali. Let your parents tell you more. Remember your dreams, you’ve had them for a reason this past year. Though I am not sure why they’ve changed the last two days, but we’ll sort that out soon enough.”

  She squeezed my hand to offer comfort, but I didn’t think anything could lessen the pressure in my chest and the thoughts that raced through my head.

  “Yes, sweet girl,” Mom started. “Please be patient with us, and let us try to explain. You’ve had the same dream since your nineteenth birthday, correct?” I nodded.

  “That dream is showing you our home. Arvata is home to the Falls and the people who guard them. The Falls or waterfalls as they’re called here, are gateways to other places. Our people have been assigned to protect them throughout th
e centuries, and tomorrow when you turn twenty, you’ll be able to see the gateways within the Falls and travel to Arvata.” Mom gestured to the book in my hands. “Inside that book, you’ll find the beginning of your journey. As new events happen in your life, new entries will be added by the Fates.”

  Mom paused to let all that sink in. Nothing was sinking in. My head was swimming and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I sat in the chair and remained still. My parents had to be crazy. What they were saying couldn’t possibly be true.

  “You have very old magic inside you and once your magic is unlocked tomorrow, you’ll be able to open the book. You’re the only one who can open the book and it’ll help guide you throughout your life’s journeys.”

  Again, I was going to reference back to the hallucinations I could be having, because I knew I didn’t just hear all that right. Magic being unlocked. Gateways to other places, what other places? I stared at Jordan, waiting for her to say gotcha, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

  “She looks shocked, like someone after they’ve touched a live wire. Should we be worried?” Jordan asked my parents. “I’d be happy to throw some cold water on her to bring her out of it.”

  Jordan would enjoy that a little too much. I shook my head and came out of my stupor.

  “Don’t you dare.” I glared at Jordan. “I really don’t think I heard you right, but if I did… I just don’t know. I’m confused, you said magic, right? So, are you telling me we’re witches?”

  I needed an entire lifetime to process all of this.

  “No darling, we’re not witches.” Mom said. “We don’t cast spells or conjure things you might think of like witches. The magic gifted to us by the Fates allows us to protect ourselves better and sustain our realm in Arvata while guarding the gateways.”

  “That book will help guide you in the future.” Dad said as he pointed to my gift. “Tomorrow you’ll see the world as a different place. This is going to be a new journey for you, and your mom and I are sorry we couldn’t better prepare you for it. We’ll be right by your side, helping you whenever we can. We promise you won’t be left alone to deal with this.”

  I just sat there staring at my parents like they’d grown two heads. I didn’t know what to do. I knew deep down they were telling me the truth, they wouldn’t joke about something like this, but I didn’t understand how this could be possible. I peered down at my hands as I thought of the magic they said I had in me. Would I still be me after tomorrow? I liked things the way they were. I had no desire for change or to have magical powers.

  “What is this magic? I’ve never seen either of you do anything out of the ordinary. What will happen to me tomorrow?” I couldn’t make my heart stop pounding and my pants were going to be soaked if I kept wiping my palms on them much longer.

  “Our magic is deep within us and we mostly use it when we’re trying to protect ourselves or others. We’ve only had two incidences since you were born that required us to use our magic. You were too young to remember the first one and the other was blocked from your memory.” Dad paused to take a deep breath. “When you were twelve, we were attacked by the things we try to protect the worlds from. They’re called Parias and can cause a lot of damage if not stopped. That’s a story for another day though. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but after the attack, your mom and I decided you needed more protection. That’s when you met Jordan. She was an adult at the time, but magic was used to make her appear your age and grow as you did.”

  “What?” I whipped my head around to face Jordan and she just shrugged her shoulders.

  “I was assigned as your protector on Earth until you came of age and while I wasn’t excited to go through school all over again, you’ve become my best friend.” Jordan leaned over and wrapped her arm around me. “What started out as a job has become so much more than that.”

  I took a few deep breathes to try and calm down. This was all too much.

  “What if I don’t want this? What if I am happy with the way things are?” I asked.

  My parents shared a look and I knew I wasn’t going to like what came next.

  “If you choose not to be a Guardian in Arvata then you would be sent back to Earth with no memories of us.” Dad said. “You’d be able to live the life you currently have, but it would be without Jordan, your mom and me. All we ask is that you come to Arvata with us tomorrow and see how it goes. Give it a couple months and if you’re not happy, we can talk about it again.”

  I was glad to know I had an out if I wanted it, but I couldn’t imagine my life without my parents and Jordan in it. Could this new life really be bad enough that I’d sacrifice any memory of them?

  “What do Guardians do exactly?” I asked.

  “Guardians do various things, but our primary purpose is to protect the gateways within the Falls from the Parias.” Mom said. “Parias are evil spirits who attempt to enter different worlds, primarily Earth, and take over anything light and good with their darkness. Guardians step in when they get through the gateways and send them back to their quarters in the Otherworld.”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with evil spirits, but maybe there would be something else I could do if I decided to stay.

  “Kali, why don’t you and I take a walk and have some girl time.” Jordan said. “I can answer some questions for you and take you to the gateway at the Falls. Maybe you can see it now that it’s so close to your birthday or maybe it’ll just bring you some peace.”

  “I could definitely use some fresh air.” I turned to my parents. They had worry lines etched all over their faces. It was hard to believe they’d just told me my whole life was about to change and I was from another world. “Wait a minute, am I human? What are we?”

  “We will always look and function like humans so that we can better protect them and blend in, but we’re different because of our magic. We’re Guardians.” Dad said.

  I nodded at my dad since I didn’t really know how to respond. I followed Jordan outside and stopped her as soon as we walked out the door. “Is this some elaborate prank for my birthday? How could you not tell me any of this?”

  “I truly am sorry. If I could’ve better prepared you, I would have. We have laws in place for a reason. Even for you, I couldn’t go against the Elders and a two-thousand-year-old tradition. All Guardians are to live with the humans and learn about their world before their magic gets unlocked on their twentieth birthday. Until then, the Guardians are to remain clueless about who they really are. The dreams are supposed to help you accept what you’re told right before your birthday.” Jordan said.

  She grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes. I could tell she was pleading with me to understand. Part of me did or at least wanted to. I just didn’t know how to accept it as the truth. I kept rubbing my chest and Jordan’s eyes narrowed as she noticed. I hoped this pressure in my chest was normal and that it would be gone tomorrow when my magic was unlocked. Did I really just think that?

  We kept walking toward the waterfall and the closer we got, the more pressure I felt in my chest.

  “Maybe the dream will help more once we go to Arvata. Did you have the same one when you went through this?” I asked.

  “I did, but my dream never changed when I had them so I don’t know why yours did. It could have something to do with your journey that the Fates will give you. You’ll find out tomorrow when you’re able to open your book and we go to Arvata. All the new Guardians will be returning to Arvata tomorrow, so you’ll get to meet other people who are going through exactly what you are.” She took a concerned glance at me. “We’re almost at the gateway, how are you feeling?”

  “The tightness in my chest hurts, but it’s manageable. Will that go away tomorrow and why do all the new Guardians arrive tomorrow?”

  “It should,” Jordan said. “And they all arrive tomorrow because you share the same birthday. Twenty children are all born on the same day every twenty years and then sent to different places on Earth
until they come of age. This whole week will be full of celebrations in Arvata with other children being born and Guardians coming home.”

  We arrived at the waterfall then and Jordan pointed to the bottom near a cluster of moss covered rocks.

  “The gateway is right there through the waterfall. It has a purple shimmering light that only Guardians can see, and our magic opens the gateway when we get near it. Magic also keeps us dry when we walk through the water, which is a plus. Do you see anything like that?” Jordan raised her voice to be heard over the rushing water.

  “I can’t see any purple, but now that you tell me exactly where it is, I can see a shimmer. It almost looks like diamonds sparkling in the sun. It’s beautiful.” I was in awe and I couldn’t even see the whole thing. I hoped tomorrow would bring more answers and more stunning things like this gateway. If I was going to have my life turned upside down, I hoped there’d be some positives in it.

  “Good. I figured with the changes you’ve had you’d be able to see something. Let’s get you back to your parents’ house. We should probably just stay here tonight, so we can go to Arvata tomorrow morning and not worry about driving back and forth.”

  It had been a long time since I had stayed at my parent’s house, so it might be fun, especially having Jordan there with me. It’d feel like old times and maybe I wouldn’t freak out so much about how my entire life was about to change.

  Chapter Three

  I woke up to an all-consuming pain. I could feel nothing but agony. From my head to my toes, my body wanted to scream out as my insides seemed to be getting stabbed by a thousand needles. I couldn’t open my eyes, everything ached. What the hell is happening to me? I think I was screaming, but I couldn’t be certain. The noise in my head was drowning out anything else except what seemed like thousands of whispering voices mumbling in my head all at the same time.