Amethyst - Book One of the Guardian Series

by Heather Bowhay

  Lexi~

  Looks like your aunt’s box has arrived. Ben and I will be home after the movie. Don’t know what we’re seeing yet. I’m all about a chick-flick and he’s dead-set onsome shoot-em-up, action show. (I should have sent U with him). Chicken enchiladas in the oven. U R so lucky to have a best friend that takes care of U!  But U R on dish duty!! Have fun sifting through old books. I’ll expect a full report when I get home! Luv ya, Ally

  After eating, I spent some time sitting quietly in the middle of the floor, meditating, but still I had no success in detecting my Essence. Frustrated, I took a break and began unpacking the box. A short time later, dust balls were hopping all over my blue and orange bedroom – a Denver Bronco haven. Posters of my favorite players, pennants, bumper stickers, and jerseys pretty much plastered one wall.

  I’d uncovered several great books from the box, and most everything was in good condition. In fact, they looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. I‘d carefully wiped layers of dust away from The Hobbit, The Secret Garden, and Dr. Zhivago. I was now holding a copy of Jason’s favorite novel, The Great Gatsby. I felt like Christmas morning had arrived early.

  Curious to see if the novel had any real value, I spent a few minutes googling and found a couple similar copies had sold for between $4000 to $8000. I kissed the cover and called my parents with the news, letting them know I had just found tuition coverage. They’d laughed and said ownership of the book would be up for discussion. After a discussion about the other books I’d found and a few questions regarding my job, we finally hung up. Sitting down next to the pile of books on my bed, I reached into the box again and pulled out a couple more novels before pulling out the last item – a primitive, wooden box.

  I unhooked the clasp and inspected what I thought might be a sewing box but blew my lips in disappointment at turning up nada. Not even a needle or safety pin lay wedged in the corner. Upon closer examination, I realized the lower section of the box was actually a drawer which was wedged shut. Nothing I couldn’t solve, though. After grabbing a table knife, I gently pried the edges of the drawer loose and gasped in surprise when two, thin diaries appeared.

  They were both covered with a brownish cloth. I opened the one on the top and found in elegant, cursive writing the words:

  This Diary belongs to Rose Mary Campbell 1924 – 1925

  I thought back to what I could remember about my mother’s side of the family. Her mom was Grace, and her grandmother had been Lucy. And that’s right, she’d never met her great-grandmother Rose.

  How incredible was this? In my hands I held the diary of my great-great-grandmother Rose. Goose bumps materialized on my arms. Not sure if I was chilled from the breeze seeping through my screens or a little freaked out from holding someone else’s private thoughts in the palm of my hands, I rummaged through my dresser and found my old, gray hoodie.

  Nestling into the hoard of pillows on my bed, I held the old journal up to my nose and inhaled the musty scent. Running my hand along the spine, I prepared myself for an escape into the world of an ancestor who’d lived in the mid 1920’s. After reading several pages, I discovered that for the most part Grandma Rose was concise and to the point, often writing only two or three sentences. All the entries started with the date and were written in elegant penmanship. Mostly, she described things like the weather, chores, school, birthdays and deaths, or short trips to town.

  Yawning through numerous entries, I finally found one that formed a whole paragraph.

  October 3rd, 1924

  The weather is changing. The winds are strong and the days are cold.Worried about my birthday. Almost 19 and Mama is very upset that I haven’t settled down and started a family yet. I know she thinks I’m a burden even though she hasn’t said as much. She says I should be nicer to Stewart. She thinks he might propose, and he’d be a good husband. I’m sure he would, but I don’t love him. Besides, I can’t focus on him right now. The visions won’t stop. They come all the time. I don’t know what to do or who to tell. Why am I so different from everyone else? It scares me.I always thought eventually they would go away, but they’re coming more frequently. I think I’m going crazy!

  My jaw dropped and my heart stopped when I read the word visions. Sitting straight up, I gripped the edges of the diary. This was incredible! She’d had premonitions too? I’d been lost at sea in a turbulent storm my whole life, and for the first time the beacon shone brightly from the lighthouse.

  Hungrily, I turned page after page but found nothing useful. Reading about ironing and mending just wasn’t cutting it any more. Occasionally, she’d refer to an incident in which she’d been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and had saved someone. Lucky? Ha! I knew exactly how that felt, and there was no luck involved whatsoever. For the next 45 minutes I scanned the whole diary, and much to my chagrin, found nothing useful.

  Sirens sounded in the distance, interrupting my thoughts. Soon, they wailed right outside the house, and red lights reflected across my walls. I wondered what was happening and why my premonitions hadn’t triggered for this emergency. So many questions but never any answers.

  “Please, please, please,” I whispered to myself as I grabbed the second diary along with my water bottle. I curled up in the sphere chair I’d crammed into corner of my room. The first page read:

  This Diary belongs to Rose Mary Campbell 1925

  “Come on Grandma Rose; give me something good.”

  Perusing the first several pages, I found nothing helpful; although, she did mention meeting a boy named Gilbert. As I read on, I found that she was dedicating more and more of her time to Gilbert – sounded like she was falling in love. With exasperation, I flipped through a third of the whole journal until I came across a really long entry. My heart beat accelerated, and I smacked my lips together. I knew this was the one I’d been looking for. Grabbing my football pillow off the floor, I hugged it between me and the diary.

  April 26, 1925

  I am overwhelmed beyond belief. Gilbert is definitely the one for me. Yesterday he took me to the drive-in to see “The Lost World” and we had such a nice time together. But tonight he started talking about premonitions and saving people. I was so surprised that I accidentally spilled soda all over the place. We went down to the lake and talked for hours while the sun set.

  What we talked about was even more fascinating. He already knew I was having premonitions, even though I’d never told him so. More importantly, he said there were others like me, and he is one of them. They call themselves Guardians. They see future accidents or deaths, and they are able to change fate and save people. They live their lives like everyone else as far as working and raising children, but they use their gifted sight to protect people from unnecessary death.

  Gilbert said I am not a Guardian yet. He called me a Seer. He said I am nearing the time in my life when my body will stop changing – it will reach the end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. That is why my premonitions are so frequent. It’s part of the progression, and soon I’ll need to become a Guardian.

  Now this is where it gets confusing. He said that at some point a Seer reaches the point where the visions flow continuously, almost out of control. The visions drain the person of their energy and good judgment is thrown to the wayside. The Seer will start hallucinating and can sometimes even die. This is the crucial time when the person must “link” with a Guardian in order to have the support and strength needed as they transition from being a Seer to a Guardian. If the Seer doesn’t link, death quite often follows.

  I had so many questions for him. Like, what is linking and how do you do it? And, who are the other Guardians? Or, why me? But it was late, and he’d promised Mama and Papa to have me home. He said I’d learned enough for one night, and he’d explain the rest in due time. I don’t have a lot of patience, so I hope he plans on giving me more information right away. For now, I feel so happy I’ve found someone like me. Even though it all sounds so unbeliev
able, I’ve lived with the visions, so I know what he says must be true.

  My hands were shaking badly, and I inadvertently dropped the diary in my lap. Why did I feel like I was leaving the real world and entering the twilight zone? I reached for my water bottle and took a long sip. The cold water trickled down my throat and helped ground me to this world. This was crazier than crazy. My Grandma Rose was a Seer, soon to be a Guardian.

  So, was I a Seer?

  I grabbed the journal, found the page I’d just read and flipped impatiently to the next passage.

  April 27, 1925

  Life is amazing. I insisted Gilbert explain things more thoroughly today. He finally agreed and told me all about linking and becoming a Guardian. This is all rather secretive, so I’m keeping it to myself. Besides, with my luck, one of the twins would find my diary and start reading it aloud to Mama.

  “Oh crap!” I swore aloud. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Just when it’s getting good.” I kept on reading.

  I will be linking with Gilbert eventually. Linking sounds so intimidating, but he said it will be remarkable and that I will gain other special abilities too. Those abilities sound unbelievable, but he assured me they are real. They are what separate the Seers from the Guardians. Once I’m a Guardian, I will be fully committed to saving lives for the rest of my life. Using my visions and abilities will become a priority – more like a need, but thankfully, he will be with me every step of the way.

  April 29, 1925

  I’m getting married! Gilbert proposed and Mama and Papa approved. We don’t want to wait. With my visions becoming increasingly incessant, Gilbert said we will probably need to link within the next couple months. He said he loves me and wants me to be his wife. So, it just makes sense to get married and then link. The ceremony is set for June 26th. I know Papa thinks it is too soon, but Mama is overjoyed.

  May 2, 1925

  I’ve decided to wear Mama’s wedding dress. We are working together to create a new, silk tulle headdress, which will look delightful with my new bobbed haircut, styled just like Louise Brooks. I’m excited about marrying Gilbert. My nerves get the better of me when I think about linking with him. Other than clasping hands, he said linking is less physical and more mental – we’ll be using our subconscious – whatever that means.

  May 28, 1925

  I’m very worried. I don’t know what is going on. Gilbert said he will be gone for a couple weeks. He told me to stay close to home and not go wandering around town by myself. He was very anxious. I’m not sure who the Ray-pacs are, but he said they are very dangerous enemies of the Guardians. Apparently, there is much for me to learn, and he promised to share more when he comes back. For now, I will focus on the wedding and pray for his safe return.

  Turning the pages rapidly, I was greeted with nothing but emptiness. I’d finally found someone I could relate with, only she was dead, and I was out of entries. I slammed the journal against my leg. Did Guardians still exist? If so, it sounded like I needed to find one soon. What would happen if I didn’t link? Then it dawned on me – maybe that’s why I’d had visions of my own death, because I would never find someone to link with and was doomed to die.

  Dread coiled tightly around my throat, almost suffocating me. Every fiber of my being stretched tight, ready to snap. I’d finally come to terms with, and was eager about, dedicating my life to saving others, and I was determined to gain Amethyst abilities and save myself from the mountain lions. But this…this was too much. Now I had to find a Guardian to link with, as well. How was that possible? I could feel defeat mutating in my body, trying to overtake my healthy cells, like a new strain of invasive cancer.

  Unable to sit still, I wrote an e-mail to Aunt Louise and asked if the roofers had discovered any more books in the attic. I wasn’t about to mention the diaries. No one else in my family had ever talked about premonitions. In fact, besides Ally, my mom was the only one who knew I occasionally had a vision of some impending accident. She just didn’t know the full extent to which they occurred. Just as I pushed “send,” I heard Ally and Ben come in the front door.

  Not more than a minute passed before Ally rushed into my room without knocking. She took one look at the books scattered about and said, “Ohhh do tell, what did you find?” Glancing up at my face, her eyes widened, and she said, “Wow! This is gonna be good. Really good.”

  Nodding slowly, I walked over to the bed and plopped down, trying to suppress the worry lines creasing my forehead. A swarm of dust balls swirled around me, and I flashed the brown covered journals before her eyes. She still didn’t know about the mountain lions, so I didn’t want her to realize how scared I was about not finding a Guardian in time. I’d have to tread carefully and keep my emotions in check. Too many secrets. Swallowing hard, and trying to sound upbeat, I said, “Apparently, my Great Grandma Rose also had premonitions…”

  Ally’s eyes became saucers. A burst of buttery theatre popcorn accompanied her as she took a step closer. Rubbing her hands together, she yelled out to Ben, “Honey, I’m gonna talk girl stuff with Lexi for awhile.” She turned and winked then shouted again. “A really long while, so you might as well play your PS3.” Without waiting for a response she slammed the door shut with her foot and said, “Tell me everything! And tell me now.”

  CHAPTER 11 – HOPE?

  The summer days of late July faded quickly along with some magnificent, crimson sunsets. I spent most of my time trying to become aware of my Essence, even giving yoga a shot, which didn’t help a bit. Other times, I worked diligently with Jessica. In the afternoons, we’d amble through Whatcom Falls Park or hike the trails of Sehome Hill. While we walked she was in teacher mode, persistent and supportive. Still, I wasn’t sensing a thing and was beginning to fear it might never happen.

  I scoured the internet for information on premonitions and Guardians but got no hits on the latter, so I shifted all my attention back on becoming an Amethyst. I figured Grandma Rose hadn’t linked until she was 19 or 20, so I probably had some time before finding a Guardian needed to be a top priority. I wished like crazy I could tell Jessica about my premonitions, but I was still experiencing unexplained bouts of anxiety about it, and that always stopped me short.

  One afternoon, without warning, Ash appeared at the store about five minutes before my shift was over. Looking temptingly good in tight jeans and a t-shirt, he pointed at me and said, “You, me, and a little adventure. I’ll see ya out front in ten, babe.”

  “What? Hey, wait. Where we goin? Maybe I have plans already. Did you ever think of that?” I yelled out.

  Ignoring my string of objections, he called over his shoulder, “Watch out, a feisty woman in uniform always gets my blood racing.”

  Ten minutes later, I found myself unable to resist his bombastic charm and climbed onto the back of his bike. We took a ride up to Blanchard Mountain where some of his buddies were paragliding off the Samish Overlook. Watching them run and jump off the cliff was heart stopping. Ash said they could fly in the air for hours, even reaching altitudes of more than 10,000 feet. He promised that next time I’d be watching him hit the skies, and the time after that…well, he hoped to persuade me into giving the sport a shot.

  “Not a chance,” I said.

  He regarded me with a steady gaze and said, “One day your life will flash before your eyes Lexi. Make sure you’re living it and not watching it.” I wanted to tell him I completely understood what he was talking about, but I didn’t. Staring into his striking, green eyes, I realized how relaxed and comfortable I always felt with him. For a minute, I even considered telling him about my snapshots and was surprised when I didn’t feel any of that anxiety that always stopped me from telling Jessica. In the end, I thought better of that idea, because I certainly didn’t want him thinking I was crazy and taking a hike. I enjoyed our casual relationship and found the more time we spent together, the more I liked him. So, I kept my secrets locked inside.

  A live performance at the Mount Baker Theatre,
followed by a home-cooked meal at the Nelson home rounded out the last couple days of July. After dinner, I sat down with Jessica’s mom and listened as she described her experiences as an Amethyst. I walked away from the conversation with a few helpful pointers and a renewed sense of hope that I’d join her ranks one day. But mostly, I felt hopeful I’d finally found a place where I fit in.

  I was thinking about hope when I stopped dead in my tracks just outside the entrance of the Fairhaven grocery store. Grabbing onto one of the green shopping carts for support, I wondered how I’d allowed such idiocy to rule my actions.

  “What’s up? Are the snapshots coming?” Ally asked with concern.

  Wide-eyed, I looked at her and shook my head. In a rush, I said, “No, it’s not that. I…I’m not sure this is such a great idea. I know I wanted to see Jason again, but now that we’re here I’m totally freakin’ out.”

  Ally dropped her hand and laughed. “Oh that’s all? Don’t be a coward. You’re gonna be fine. Besides, you gotta decide if you want to waste any more time daydreaming about this Jason guy,” she scowled, “or start making the moves on Ash.” She smiled, and I rolled my eyes. “Come on, of course he’ll be here. Let’s get this settled once and for all.” She tugged me forward.