by Bryna Butler
***
Keira survived the confrontation with two broken ribs, a cut and broken arm, a fractured collarbone, a mild concussion, dozens of bruises, and four deep gashes across her back made from the claws of a werewolf. However, there was no need for casts or slings. Fast healing was a definite benefit of being a guardian.
Still, she required some time out of school for recovery. The official story was that she had crashed her four-wheeler in the woods. August volunteered to take the ATV out to create the evidence. He brought it back with mud up to the handlebars, twigs sticking out of every opening, and the biggest grin across his face.
Ann delivered homework assignments daily. Jumper always accompanied her and kept them entertained with widely exaggerated commentaries on the events of Keira’s missed school days. Colby couldn’t help but wonder about Jumper’s reaction to the information that Ann would one day share with him. Would he take it as well as Colby did when he found out that Keira was a guardian? Did Colby take it well? He thought so.
Colby was at Keira’s bedside the entire time, working to put all the pieces together. The guilt of his negligence weighed heavy on him. How could he have fallen so completely for Brooke? It felt so real.
Of course, Keira offered her own explanation on Brooke’s hold over him. She said that there had always been rumors that Gammen could control the emotions of humans to make them do as he pleased. It made sense that this trait was passed on to his daughter. It made sense. Thinking back, Colby realized that he had been overcome by emotion whenever he was in Brooke’s presence, especially when she leaned in close to speak to him and her breath touched his skin. Those moments he used to treasure. Now, they were forever ruined by her betrayal.
Everything about Mr. Banes came rushing back to Colby’s mind. The comment he made about Colby’s scent during their first meeting was at the forefront of those recollections. The thought sent chills down his spine. Colby remembered how Mr. Banes was completely uninterested in him until Brooke said something about him being special, then, and only then, he was suddenly engaged. He didn’t look the same in the cavern, but there were still traces of Mr. Banes’ face, his eyes, in the human form that Gammen chose for his final battle.
And he had now come to some other conclusions too.
He had only met Brooke at freshman orientation and was ready to ask her out on the first day of school. Of course, he had attributed his unusual boldness to the start of his freshman year. Now, it was clear that he was under her spell from the start.
She had marked him with that emerald medallion at the Halloween Bash. That thing roaming the party must have been a mogdoc. Poor Shara, tormented for having bad taste in accessories.
He recalled his conversation with Brooke on the night of the Fall Ball. It wasn’t the roller coaster incident that led Gammen to believe that Colby was the guardian. It was what Colby, himself, had said to Brooke. She asked him flatly if he always protected Keira and he had told her that it was practically his job.
The roller coaster was a new revelation in itself. Brooke did duck out of line because she was afraid of the coaster; especially since she knew that it was a death trap. She got out of there because she knew what was about to happen. It must have been so difficult for her to muster all that fake concern when he and Keira reached the ground alive.
Lastly, he wondered how he missed those green eyes…mogdoc eyes. How could he have gazed in them so deeply and not see what was behind them. The increasing list of missed details made Colby feel like a complete idiot. Of course, hindsight is 20/20; Colby knew this. He knew that it wasn’t his fault. The trouble was that his head knew it. His heart just knew the guilt of not seeing through the con. These were the thoughts that plagued Colby at Keira’s bedside.
His best friend the hero…his girlfriend the villain. He felt like his loyalties had been in a tug-of-war for so long and then suddenly one side dropped its end. Now, he was left wallowing in the mud.
On the fourth day of Keira’s recuperation, Ann arrived alone. As always, she found Colby sitting in Keira’s room.
“Can we talk outside for a minute?” she asked.
He rose from his station and followed her to the kitchen and then out the back door. Nana was doing dishes in the kitchen sink and looked up briefly as they passed, then continued with her work.
The back door led to a well manicured, but small, backyard separated from the nearby freshly planted fields by a tall, plank board perimeter fence. It was a bright, early summer afternoon. They walked in silence to the far corner where a grand, old maple tree stood. Its branches held a bounty of broad leaves that shaded the spot nicely. Ann parked herself in the wooden swing supported by one of the tree’s widest limbs. Colby leaned on the tree’s thick trunk, arms folded. His eyes were focused on Ann.
Without prompting, she began her story.
“Fifteen years ago, a very special baby was born of sun and moon.”
“Right,” Colby interrupted. “I already understand. You’ve all got super powers. Do we really need to talk about this right now? I shouldn’t leave Keira alone…”
Ann forced a smile. “You better listen. I don’t have much time.”
Colby let out a frustrated sigh and knelt down to sit cross-legged on the warm grass to the side of the swing.
“Okay, of sun and moon…anyway… there are many who believed that this baby would grow to become a great warrior and overcome the Mogdoc Empire.”
“And this baby is you?”
“No, but many believe it is Keira. So, as a baby, she was hidden among humans where she could be educated and trained in safety, until it was time.”
Colby was a bit surprised by the answer, but found it easily justified based on the events of the last few months.
Ann continued, “Her parents gave her up to conceal her identity. Since they couldn’t be with her, they provided her with many protectors. I only know three of them. I don’t know if Keira even knows who all of them are. Nana, of course, is her primary trainer and protection. Two travelers, my parents, also pledged to protect her, but now their pledge has fallen to my sister and me.”
“Katie’s only ten years old.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Well, I guess it’s good to know that you’re watching out for her. It makes me feel so much better that she has someone besides a little old lady to protect her. You know, like a real defender with special abilities.”
“That’s only part of what I need to tell you. There’s more,” she continued. “Keira has a duty to perform to bring about the end of Broo, er Brooke, well, the whole mogdoc empire.” She paused a moment to gauge his reaction to her using the B-word. She couldn’t recall which name she should use at this time.
“Colby, these creatures are so cruel. If you only knew the pain and inhumanity that they’ve caused.” She started to choke and paused to compose herself. “Their wickedness is so unrelenting that it also affects the human world, manifesting in the worst kind of evil. Keira must fulfill the master plan at all costs.”
“Yes, I know, it’s her destiny.”
“No, Colby, there is no such thing as destiny. This is her calling. I don’t mean to sound too corny, but she is the hope of all generations. When she succeeds, she will save both our worlds. So, listen to me carefully. If you try to stop her, I’ll have no choice but to stop you.”
“Why would I stop her?”
“Colby, just listen to what I’m telling you. Keira and her mission come first, before any connection that we have. My whole world depends on it. This isn’t going to be easy and she will have to make some tough choices.”
“Why would I stop her?” he repeated.
“Just see that you don’t. I must trust that you will listen to me and never forget this conversation,” Ann said as she planted her feet back on the ground. “And Colby, one more thing…I’m going to stop by to visit Keira in about an hour. I won’t remember this conversation, so please don’t mention it.�
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“Why won’t you…” Colby stopped midsentence when Ann raised her arm in front of him. A scar stretched from the middle of her palm to her elbow. That’s when he noticed the other signs: slightly longer hair, clothing more conservative than usual, and a modest engagement ring on her left hand.
“You’re not the Ann from my time, are you?”
She turned toward the back door, but stopped in the middle of the yard. “And, Colby, just a word of advice…don’t underestimate Nana. She’s no grandmother and is as sly as they come.”
She continued through the kitchen, proud of the way she had handled the situation. She felt strong and respected. It was exactly the way that her mother told her it would be on that night several years ago. She remembered it like it just happened yesterday. She thought she had gone insane as she watched her first birthday from the corner of the living room. It was her Dad’s way of breaking the news about her family’s extraordinary abilities. Something a little more conservative may have been easier to digest.
Later she would learn that it was tradition to keep their true nature secret until the eldest of the next generation reached their fifteenth birthday. Keira had been brought up to know that she was something more than human; Ann had it thrust upon her. As Ann looked upon her injured friend, she pondered which was better. Hopefully what she had done today was enough to nudge things in the right direction without consequences. She took a deep breath as she faded back to the future with a sonic boom.