by Willa Alders
After some short conversation with the boys I headed off to the pond out back of Sam’s house to sit by the water and watch it glisten in the moonlight. It was quiet and away from all the crowds of teenagers. I watched the water, thinking and unwinding wonder what Carmina would say to me for staying and risking us. But at the moment it was ok, I was not worried what Caleb or Carmina would say.
I must have wandered off in my mind because I didn't even hear Sam and another guy came up behind me. Sam tapped my shoulder and I jumped.
“Ara, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Sam said taking a sip of his drink. “This is Archer Coleson. Archer this is Aralynn.” Sam said smiling and walking away.
He was up to it again, being matchmaker for me. I shook my head at Sam he hated the fact that I had not found someone that I could share my secret with. It was whatever to me I thought it didn’t bother me. I would eventually find Mr. Right but if it wasn’t right now I did not really care if I did or didn’t. I was more focused on training myself to be better.
“Hey.” I said looking away from him to be nice.
“Hey. So why are you not up there with all the others?” He asked pointing his thumb toward the crowd.
“Not big into crowds, I just come because I have to keep appearances up.” I smiled inside I laughed knowing I just sounded like a typical teenage girl.
“Pretty girl doesn’t like crowds. That’s something you don’t see every day. Most love the attention.” He said sitting down beside me, and I could see he was smiling out of the corner of my eye.
“Yea well I guess I am not most girls. Thank you for the compliment though. I have to go.” I said getting up and rushing past him.
I got in my corvette before he could catch up to me.
CHAPTER 2- ARCHER
SIX MONTHS EARLIER
There I was lying on my bed locked in the room right across the hall from her. This was where I spent the majority of my time. That was until she decided she needed me to do some dirty work for her, or to clean or to cook, or to do whatever she said she needed, I was her personal slave. She knew it and used it whenever and however. No matter how belittling the circumstance was to me. Sadly I was her captive and there was nothing I could do about it.
I wanted nothing more to earn my freedom from her, to break away and not have to look over my shoulder constantly. But I had to come to terms that was not happening anytime soon or so I thought. I was her play thing something she could use and discard until she needed me again that was my life.
Now don’t go getting me wrong she did make sure I looked good. I dressed in the finest of clothes, but that was because when she wanted me she wanted me to be dazzling to the eyes, and indeed with her help I was. I would turn heads, everyone’s heads girls and guys everyone it didn’t matter. Their heads would turn. Everything but that was all short lived for brief periods typically no longer than a day or two at a time and when that day was over I was drug back to the hell hole I’m in now. That was my life…………..HELL………..
But I guess I should say who she is. She is my sister. We’ve been on this earth for exactly I don’t know how long. That was the one thing that sucked is when you become immortal you don’t know how long you have been on earth since it starts over from that day. I know I was 17 when I turned. Now I’m 117. So I’ve at least been here on earth that long but my sister I’m not sure and others like us in our clan I don’t know how long they’ve been here either. I know that in our immortal society there is a hierarchy and a strict set of rules to be followed.
The hierarchy as I’ve always been told is any female immortal is the utmost powerful, and is to be in charge. Respect isn’t earned but is commanded. The male immortals are below the females. So the female makes the rules and we have to obey. The rules go even further in depth. Immortals that have children typically have both a girl and boy. If the parents were to die the daughter automatically rises to power in her family. If the boy in the family is under 120 years old he is still considered a child which means his sister gets control over him. Typically most siblings let their younger brothers live free with them then when they are 120 then they are able to start their own lives. However there are some siblings that chose to use and abuse their sibling and sadly my sister was one of those that chose that option. Kilyn took pleasure in causing me pain, and watching me suffer through it. She loved when I would try to beg my way out of it even though it never worked. She got off on it.
Today, out of all days I heard her talking to her partner, who was just as equally cruel to me as well. I watched her wave her hand and the invisible field came down so she didn’t get shocked as she came in my room. She set it up to keep me trapped no one could undo it but her. As always she looked like a stuck up prep. But she was a hierarchy. Women in our society were considered the high ones and we as men were beneath them since day one according to the clan society rulers. Especially male siblings, although not many treated men like that anymore but of course she was one of the ones who did and always constantly reminded me of it.
“Good morning brother.” Kilyn said with a sly cruel upward smile.
“What do you want?” I grunted at her. “Come to let me out just to toy with me dear sister?” I grunted at her.
“Excuse me? That is not how I am to be addressed. Now unless you want me to hurt you severely address me properly.” She said tapping her foot and waving her hand which was never good.
“Yes ma’am. For what do I owe this pleasure?” I snorted back her as she just smiled.
“You know if you were smart dear brother you’d watch your tone. I have the power to wipe you off the face of the earth with one blink. Now you wouldn’t want me to do that now would you?” She asked.
“Maybe I would.” I mumbled. I hated when she did that.
Next thing I knew she jumped across the room grabbing my neck and slammed me up against the wall. I tried to break loose but her hands turned to stone as I did I was stuck. I couldn’t move, I was frozen.
“Don’t test me. Besides dear brother I have a job for you. It will earn you you’re freedom. Do this and I will never bother you again. You will be free. I swear!” She smiled a devilish grin at me.
I stood there unable to move or say anything. She loosened her grip just a bit so I could talk. I thought before I said anything I wanted a good response. Her devilish grin meant she could be tricking me. I sensed that she was.
“It’s a trick.” I tried to yell but what escaped out of my mouth was nothing but a small mumble of defeated words.
“No I’ll sign my blood to it, and you know that can’t be broken. Do you want to hear the job or not?” She said letting me go and yawning like tormenting me was a bore to her.
“Not much of a choice is it?” I asked rubbing my throat.
“Aralynn. Go befriend her, make her fall for you and make her weak. She’s too powerful but with her mind focused on something else, I can take her and kill her easily.” She said rubbing my hair with fake compassion.
“If I refuse?” I asked.
“Well a slow painful death or slow painful punishment of 1000 years would be suffice.” She smiled.
“Really, and if I accept and fail?” I asked her.
“Well you die—PERIOD. If you succeed you live free.” She smiled.
“So either way I’m screwed unless I weaken her.” I grimaced, because I had seen Aralynn a few times and I did not want her to die.
“Unless you succeed yes, now befriend Sam. He’s close to their family. Don’t let them know you’re related to me understood. Don’t let them know we know each other. You will be rewarded dear brother. You do slip you will pay.” She said. “Get close I don’t care how, but make her fall for you.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard, devilishly good looking although your abilities suck terribly.” She smiled. “Go get my hounds out of the yard, and clean them up.” She said smacking my face so hard, I saw white dots.
Which I did quickly I did not feel like
dealing with her wrath today. So I did as I was told yelling at myself the whole time saying I was stupid, because there was no way I could do this. I could not lead someone to their own death but I did want my freedom. So I had to develop a way to do both without getting anyone killed and without Kilyn finding out.
Sam would be easy. I knew I could befriend him. Convincing Aralynn would be harder, and I didn’t think I could make someone trust me and hurt them in the end. I thought to myself well shit I’m screwed either way I go.
CHAPTER 3 ARALYNN
That night I was lucky, I did sleep but I did not sleep soundly. My brain was playing a dream like a movie reel the whole night. Of course it was in black and white, like an old Hollywood classic and I could do nothing but watch it completely engulfed. All I wanted to do was eat popcorn as the dream unfolded.
There was a damsel well a beauty that looked like she could handle herself, and I never saw her face, so I assume she was gorgeous she looked it from the back anyways. There was the hero who resembled the back of someone I knew. Who it was I wasn’t sure yet. They were talking, and kissing out in a field somewhere then the screen flickered.
The flicker went on for about ten minutes like the old movie house was having issues changing scenes or something. I sat waiting for the screen to come back up. The couple was broken as I watched the girl shoved him and he just stood there, it looked like she may have been crying because her hands kept going up to her face. His hands were trying to console her but she wasn’t having it. With no clue as to who they were, or what happened I sat and watched wanting to see more. Before she could do anything a group of monstrous creatures came out of nowhere in the field teeth showing, fur tussled, and ready to attack. The creatures growled, and I realized that the creatures were the bears, the menacing ones that were on the loose. But what did they want with the characters in the movie? Before I could answer I woke up, and the sun was peeking through my window.
I went into the bathroom and got dressed, and headed downstairs. Carmina and Caleb were already down there eating, and Avery was walking around topless as always. Why he did it no one knows- probably to show off. I shook my head and looked at Carmina. Today she looked dazzling. She didn’t look like me she looked like a business woman. Caleb had a suit on and I wondered what was going on with them. They never ever dressed up like that unless they were going to see the high group- the Kintana- they had mentioned before.
“It’s the weekend what’s going on with you two?” I asked puzzled out of my mind.
“Nothing, except meeting with the Kintana, to see if they heard anything about the bears.” Carmina said.
“Oh gotcha, do you need us to go?” I asked.
“No sweetie, Avery is going to train you today on your abilities. Avery was told to go easy on the fighting skill on you.” She smiled throwing Avery a shirt.
“Ok, hey have you heard of dreams, taking over and they seem like really real? The bears were in mine last night; they were attacking a couple in a field and I didn’t get a chance to see who the couple was.” I asked biting into something she had cooked that tasted horrid. Carmina wasn’t much of a cook although she tried extremely hard to make up for it in other ways.
“Do you like it?” She asked pleadingly seeking approval, knowing I would be the only one to give it to her.
“Yeah what is it?” I asked it kind of looked like a messed up omelet.
“It’s a bacon, egg, cheese, and pepper omelet, and about your dream we’ll ask the Kintana about it. See if it’s a new ability or something you’re getting.” She smiled, kissing the top of my head as her and Caleb headed out the door.
“Ara why do you eat that? It’s horrid.” Avery laughed at me because I blinked and it was gone.
“Don’t want to hurt her feelings. Thank goodness I’m not starving.” I smiled. “Ready?” I asked Avery.
“Yeah, let’s go see if you can keep up and no cheating!” He yelled as he leaped out of the window.
With that he was gone as quick as the speed of light, he was the fastest out of any of us, but we were all pretty quick. He was a faster runner, but I was a better leaper, and I could leap what he could run typically in two leaps. But this time he took off too quick that when I leaped out the window after him, I had to listen to the sounds of the ground. Now believe it or not the ground does make a faint ripple effect that most humans would never hear. Then again most humans don’t know how to channel into the earth’s being like we do. So there I am listening to the sounds sitting in the tree. It sounded like he was heading north up the mountain behind our house. I dropped down taking off running, and once, I got about halfway I leaped up onto a tree. I saw the flashes of him zip through the trees on the ground, so keeping hindsight I leaped from tree to tree trying to out run him, and stay ahead of him so he couldn’t sneak up on me. Once I reached the highest tree I looked down. Avery was nowhere to be seen he was gone.
I stayed up there though because rule number one if Avery is training, you always keep your eyes peeled. The higher up you are the better! I didn’t see him, and I waited like a lion to see if my prey was going to surface. I figured when he didn’t he was waiting on me to drop down so right when I was about too. I heard a rustle behind me. Before I could turn around, Avery had dropped me out of the tree. We free fell about 8 stories. When we both hit the ground he hit it on all fours. Avery let out his deep chuckle, as he helped me off my back.
“You see Ara you forgot the most important rule. Keep your eyes peeled, and that means your ears too. What would you have done if that was a bear?” He smiled. I loved him but he was a brute, and when you trained with Avery you guaranteed he was going to make sure you hurt the next day.
“Anyways.” He smiled. “We know you can swoop, and blow things up and freeze things and maybe more it- seems. But frankly Ara, your concentration on all of it is a bit reckless. So freeze this.” He laughed defiantly as he threw a fireball at me. I didn’t react quickly enough because I blew it up and the backlash came back hitting me. It didn’t burn me though just knocked me down.
“See you weren’t harnessing it do it right!” He said this time he threw two and the same thing happened. “Again!” He said and he threw two more. The first one I froze but it hit me in the arm before it was completely frozen.
The second one I froze it stayed in place for five minutes before it dismantled.
“Good. Ready.” He smiled again.
“No wait, when you do the fireballs, I thought that was a trick with a lighter.” I looked puzzled.
“No kid, it’s a few I was not allowed to tell you about. This is one that is only for training or for fun. Not really for serious now especially since you can do it. I will trade it for something else, as soon as we harness your ability of blowing something up properly. Again.” He smiled throwing one after another, for about an hour straight. I lost count after about 50.
“Again. We’re going to do these, unless you want to fight?” He smiled which was wrong because I knew I could not win but I was tired of blowing things up, so I would take fighting over blowing stuff up right now.
I didn’t answer him just smiled; I punched him and then took off leaping. I headed toward the cliff. I smiled when he reached me, and he knocked me off the cliff and we went into the water. Which fighting in the water was the best ways to train, because to fight you were weightless, and taught you to ignore your surroundings and pain. Plus we could talk under water which was definitely a plus.
“Punch me, and throw me into the rock.” Avery pointed.
I smiled as I lifted him sending him thudding against the rock. I didn’t even faze him not even a little bit. All I had just managed to do was make a small shock which scared away a school of fish.
“My turn.” He smiled and I blocked his punches, but was unable to block his throws, and the more I threw back and concentrated on freezing on him the more aggravated he got. When he unfroze for the last time he slammed me against the rocks, and the rocks bounced as t
hey tumbled down, some of them hitting me on the head. One in particular was huge, and I saw red as it hit me. The next thing I knew I was at home laying on the couch, and I heard yelling going on.
“Avery, you were not supposed to be so rough. I told you to train her, not hurt her! She’s more powerful than what you realize, and when she harnesses it for the first time she will be a great asset. More than what she is now, but until then if her power slips you both could end up hurt or dead. Do you want that?” I heard Caleb and Carmina both yelling at him.
I popped my eyes open a little and saw Avery punch the table, “You told me to train her. Damn it. Getting hurt is part of it not like I really meant for it to happen. It’s a risk.” He screamed and I heard the table crack in half.
Great I thought he had busted another table. I hated when Avery got mad, and I hated when both Caleb and Carmina over reacted. It wasn’t like Avery had meant to hurt me. I got up as Avery stormed out of the house and I heard his Ducati roar off down the road. He was cooling to cool off at Sam’s more than likely.
“He didn’t mean too. I kind of froze him.” I said standing up and realizing I had a splitting headache.
“Well, I told him to be careful. Not to hurt you. You have a huge gash in your head. We should to take you to a doctor, but there’s no use you’ll heal quickly.” Caleb said peeling the bandage off, and saw that it was already healing.
That’s one thing we all shared. Our family healed quicker. You couldn’t hurt us long. A gash was a mere paper cut in two hours. A broken bone was just a stiff muscle within a few hours. That was an ability everyone under the Kintana shared. We all healed incredibly fast. Nothing pinned us down for long.
“Did you talk to the Kintana about what I saw?” I asked as Carmina spoke up.
“Yea, they think it’s definitely a sign maybe an ability that’s starting out in dreams, and maybe you’ll see it when you’re not dreaming. Maybe you won’t they don’t know. They have never seen ability like that for centuries, but they said to let us know if you see the couples’ faces in the dream, or who created the bears. Are you hungry?” Carmina asked as her face softened.