The Sentinels
The First and Second
By Gloria Viotti Olson
The Sentinels: The First and Second
Copyright ©2013 Gloria Viotti Olson
Published by Gloria Viotti Olson at Smashwords
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any and all similarities to real people, places, or events are unintentional and purely coincidental. All characters in this book are fictional and any similarities are a coincidence. This story contains explicit content; please be advised, it is not appropriate for children to read.
Table of Contents
Title Page/Copyright
Foreword and Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
Afterword
About Gloria Viotti Olson
Bonus - Preview of ‘The Sentinels: The Void’ by Gloria Viotti Olson
Foreword and Acknowledgments
This book is part of a series and the story is not complete. All editing has been done by me, the author; I apologize in advance for any typos or mistakes, grammatical or otherwise.
To my husband, thank you for always supporting me in everything I do and helping me whenever I ask. To my children, thank you for feeding my wild imagination. To my parents, thank for always believing in me and wishing the best for me in any situation. To the rest of my family, thank you for always telling me to keep trying, and always wishing me luck. To my best friend and sister, thank you, for always being honest with me, and never letting me give up; your support has always made me stronger. Last, but definitely not least, thank you to all of you who buy this book, I hope you enjoy it and it brings you great pleasure.
Chapter One
Grayson Phillips woke with a start, his alarm blaring; he was going to be late for swim practice and today was his day to open the gym doors and the swimming pool. If he didn't hurry Josephine (she preferred Jo) was going to get mad at him. It was still very early, only 4:45 a.m., but since he needed to warm up for swim practice, he used running to school as a warm up, not only to save time but also so that he would not be late.
Grayson pulled his square-legged swim trunks on under his jeans and slid his shirt on quickly. After sliding his shoes and backpack on, he ran down the stairs and left a note for his Mom. The note said goodbye, that he loved her, he hoped she had a great day, and that he would see her in the evening when she got home from work. After he finished with the note, he took off running; he couldn't be late or Jo would kick his ass.
Jo, simply put, was a time traveling woman that looked like a young girl whom Grayson had been able to see and completely interact with since the day he was born. No one else could see her, but his whole family knew about Jo, and as a child, he hadn’t known that it was not wise to speak about her or to her aloud, or in front of others. Because of this, everyone except for his best friend since preschool, Harry McDonnell, had thought she was his imaginary friend.
Sometimes Grayson swore Harry could see Jo although he had never said anything; Harry was a very quiet, shy, and reserved person unless he was very mad. Sadly, he and Harry had not hung out in about two years; he missed his best friend so much his heart hurt but he wasn't going to force Harry to talk to him.
Harry had professed his love for Grayson in their sophomore year of high school and kissed him, but Grayson had told him that he didn't see him as anything more than his best friend and that he couldn't return his feelings. He had regretted his words immediately and only later had he realized he would have been willing to try because he loved Harry unconditionally.
However, Harry hadn't given him the chance to explain his thought process or his feelings; unfortunately since then Harry hadn't talked to him except while in school and unavoidable circumstances. Grayson had been lonely ever since and he was always trying to talk to him but he would always find a way to get away from Grayson.
Deep down, Grayson was hurt, because Harry had given up on fourteen years of friendship so easily. Why hadn't he tried to convince him or remained friends in the hope that Grayson's feelings would change? It had never made sense to him because, although Harry was quiet and reserved, he was not one to give up on things easily.
Crap, I zoned out; if I don't hurry, I'll be late and Jo will kick my ass.
There were many things Jo hated, being late was one of them; other things she hated included bullies, hypocrites, and racists, but above anything else, she loathed disloyalty.
When Grayson was younger, children had started picking on him due to an incident that happened when he was a little boy, in which his first grade teacher had dressed him up like a girl for the end-of-year talent show. His teacher had claimed it was because he was so pretty and looked like a girl with his red and golden blonde hair, big translucent pale grey eyes, long eyelashes, and full rosy lips.
His teacher, Mrs. Kurkos, had discovered that with the right outfit on, Grayson looked indistinguishable from a girl. Unfortunately, since that time, the other children had bullied Grayson and called him a pretty boy because of it. Only Harry had stood by his side, even though the children had also taunted Harry when he was little because he, like Grayson, had also looked more like a girl than a boy.
However, because of their connection, Jo could go into his body and move it, so Jo would take over his body and help him defend himself. Although Grayson still experienced everything as if he were the one doing it himself. Regrettably, even at the age of 18 Grayson was still a pretty boy and some people still teased him, though it was a rare occurrence.
However, Grayson had grown uncomfortable with Jo's tendency to take over his body without permission, and they had had quite a long discussion about it, in which Grayson had set many boundaries. The boundaries changed further, in fact, all the body possession stopped when Harry confessed his love for him, and Jo decided to take over his body and let Harry kiss him. Oddly enough, the kiss had turned him on, though he'd never told anyone. So now, Grayson only allowed Jo to enter his body and take over when he gave her permission, which hadn't happened in two years.
Jo had lived a long time and because of that, she was a master at martial arts and other defense-based arts, along with so many other things that he lost count; archery, sword fighting, gymnastics, guns and so many more. All of which she gruellingly taught him every single day alongside Harry until Harry had stopped talking to him.
One of the most important things she had taught both of them was how to work and function properly through pain, any type of pain. The worst was when Harry had cracked his head and shoulder when
doing a jump and Harry had continued with the training and worked through the pain and the blood that had come out of his cut head. He was very resilient and stubborn, and he'd refused to stop the training just because he was 'a little banged up' as he'd said. Of course, after that, Grayson had insisted on taking him to the hospital; Harry had reluctantly gone, and they had treated his wound but it had been difficult at best to convince him.
Grayson shook his head to get out of his pensive state; if he arrived late to practice his coach would force him to stay late afterward which cut into his training at home, and Jo would find a way to punish him. He definitely didn't want that because today was a day he was actually looking forward to; Jo was going to teach him how to use a handgun, shot gun, and rifle on a moving target while moving himself.
He'd left a note on the kitchen counter for his Mom the night before letting her know that he would be leaving early to open the gym and pool. He lived only five minutes from school at a light jog for a normal person, but for some reason, things (on occasion weird things) happened to him when he ventured outside. However, since he had to be there and have the doors open in fifteen minutes, and he had never let the weird things stop him before, he sped up, come what may.
He jumped over a trashcan that was in his way and a car almost hit him while it was backing up because it wasn't paying attention. He jumped quickly on top of the trunk of the car, sliding across it and landing safely on the other side. The driver was getting out as Grayson yelled back, "have a nice day Sir!"
After he waved at the driver, Grayson continued on; if that was the only thing that was going to happen to him on his way into school today then that was great. He ran around the corner and slammed into Harry's back who was also on the swim team and apparently walking to practice early. Grayson flew back landing on his butt as Harry flew forward landing on his knees and banging his forehead hard on the concrete; somehow Harry flew less than Grayson did.
Harry was taller than Grayson by a few inches at least. He guessed Harry was about 6'3" or 6'4"; he himself was 6'1" so he knew Harry was at least taller than that. He was still beautiful though. He had light blond hair, big bright emerald green almond shaped eyes, full lips (which Grayson knew for a fact were very soft), and a very handsome face. He'd grown out of the pretty phase unlike Grayson, but the beauty was still under the surface. What broke Grayson's heart, was that Harry's face always took on a tone of sadness when he saw Grayson, and it only made him miss his best friend more.
“Ow! Damn it,” Harry complained as he turned around. “Can't you watch where you're going dude?!" A little blood was trickling down the middle of his eyebrows.
Harry saw who'd slammed into him and stopped talking, his face turning red. Still this crack was not as bad as the one he'd received four years ago when they'd been training and he'd hurt his head and shoulder. Nonetheless, he didn't like to see Harry bleeding. Grayson scrambled forward still on the ground and wiped the blood off Harry's face quickly before he backed away giving Harry the space he always tried to keep since he confessed.
"Sorry Harry I didn't mean to; I'm opening the gym today, so I'm in a hurry, and you know Jo, she'll kick my ass if I don't hurry. Are you ok? Does your head hurt?"
Grayson stretched his hand out to Harry again slowly as if he were a frightened animal that would run off if he moved to fast. However, he froze when Jo's breath caressed the back of his neck; she was standing right behind him! Shit!
'What are you doing down there Gray? Shouldn't you be running to school before you're late? You know what will happen to you if you're late. Oh, Harry is injured; is he ok?' she asked, her voice was quiet, but he could still hear the threat in it toward him, and the concern for Harry.
Grayson got up and stretched his hand out to help Harry up and then he saw Harry's face. Harry's face had gone from tomato red to white, or whiter than white; the blood smeared on his face stood out considerably because of it. Grayson wanted to hug him and make sure he was all right but Harry would not want that, he didn't like anyone to think he was weak or girl-like. However, Harry wasn't looking at Grayson he was staring directly behind Grayson, directly at Jo. Could he see her? No one had ever been able to see her. Why could he see her now, but not before?
'Can you see me Harry McDonnell?' Jo asked him.
He nodded his head at her slightly, almost imperceptibly; SHIT! This wasn't good; though Harry had known of Jo, for him to be able to see her suddenly probably meant he was more hurt than he let on. No matter what, Grayson still considered Harry his best friend and didn't want him hurt. Grayson grabbed Harry by the bicep and helped him up.
"Can you run? I really need to get to the gym and open up but we also need to talk, and I really think you should get the nurse to check your head. Can you still see Jo?" he asked Harry, Harry nodded his head, the color still not returning to his face.
"Come on then," Grayson said pulling on Harry's arm, "let's go." Harry turned and focused on Grayson's calm face and seemed to snap out of it a bit, "ok," Harry said quietly.
"I know a shortcut if you can jump, but if you can't we'll find another way; you hit your head badly," Grayson said touching and caressing Harry's face, this time letting his hand linger.
Harry nodded in agreement but didn't pull away; he kept his head down as he quietly mumbled, "I can jump."
"Ok then, let's go," and with that Grayson took off faster than before, leaning into the run; they reached a dead-end street but Grayson kept running.
"Wait, isn't this a dead end Gray?" Harry asked panting.
"That's why I asked you if you were able to jump; we're jumping this wall and running down the side of the empty water canal, up the other side, and over the fence on the other side. Then through another field and over the bridge to the fence on the other side, after that, it's a flat-out run until the school fence, and we don't have time to stop. Can you do that?"
Harry looked surprised at Grayson’s question; "Yeah, I guess I can," Harry said, bristling at the question yet somehow still sounding unconfident about it.
'Have a little more confidence in yourself Harry, or you'll never succeed in your endeavors' Jo said encouragingly.
Jo had always been encouraging with Harry, but for some reason with Grayson she was always pushy and demanding; it appeared that had not changed, even after two years.
Grayson hadn't stopped running. He'd used the momentum of his speed to jump on a trashcan next to the fence as he planted his hand flat on the top of the fence and leaped smoothly over the fence with both legs, clearing the fence gracefully. He landed on his haunches and rolled; it was a perfect execution. He didn't stop, but he wanted to, instead he kept running to the other side of the dry canal.
When he turned, he saw Harry struggling to get to his feet; he'd landed badly and fallen on his knees again, although this time, he'd caught himself before hitting his head. Grayson was already getting to the other side of the canal, and he knew if he stopped to check on Harry, he would think Grayson saw him as a weakling or in some way inferior to him.
To an outsider, it would appear that Grayson was a cold bastard for not waiting for his best friend, but he knew Harry well enough, and knew that it would offend him if he treated him like he couldn't handle himself.
Grayson checked his watch; he still had ten minutes left.
"Damn it, if he's struggling this much then he could be seriously hurt; no matter how much pain he can tolerate he hasn't trained in two years," Grayson mumbled to himself. After a moment, he turned to Jo, "Jo I rather be late then let him remain hurt; but I really don't want to be late either. I wonder if he'd let me carry him," Grayson wondered, under his breath.
'Gray you should be more patient, especially since he's your best friend. Moreover, he can see me; isn't that cool Gray? It's so exciting!' Jo said excitedly, clapping her hands.
"Really; so you're going to be patient with me and not make me overwork myself during training because I'm late?" Grayson asked as Harry came running up the hil
l.
'Don't get carried away Gray, and be polite to your best friend, especially since you love him so much. Since Harry can see me, I should start training him again, that way he can be your sparring partner like before. Since he's probably going to make you late, he can make up the training with you today, right Harry?' Jo finished.
Harry looked from Jo to Grayson to Jo again as she asked him the question; he was blushing slightly, "Sure, I'll help; what training is it today?" he asked both of them.
Even with the bump to his head, he was showing no signs of pain, stubborn as ever. At least he was talking to Grayson and had even agreed to train with him; this made Grayson happier than he had been in a long while. He grinned at Harry and did a little happy dance in his head.
"It's Jo's form of torture and punishment these days, but if you are willing that'd be great; I've missed you. Be warned it's not as easy as it used to be, she's turned into a demon trainer," Grayson said pointing at Jo over his shoulder with his thumb. She smiled at them and giggled excitedly.
'Please, even after training both of you your entire lives you still have a lot to learn. Gray, if only you could just stop freezing when it comes to defending yourself that'd be great. You react properly when someone else is attacked; only when it's someone you care about do you get really pissed, but you still lack confidence during self-defense,' Jo said brutally.
"Harry let's go or we'll be late," Grayson grabbed him by the arm and tugged on it; Harry almost toppled over.
Really, how was he a swimmer? He was always so graceful when he swam, not clumsy at all. He had horrible balance right now; it had to be the bump on his head. Grayson sighed and took off running once again, but nowhere near as fast as he could, he held back to give Harry a chance to pace himself, though he wouldn't dare tell Harry that. At least he and Harry would be warmed up for swim practice.
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