by ClareMarie .
“Including the perks of being a Paranormal already, like rapid healing, sense of smell, hearing, and any other gifts she may inherit,” Kai continues in a monotone voice, still staring out into the distance. He grabs my hand firmly for support.
“Yes. Ava will have many gifts given to her by me and my people to help her fight strong in her quest, and her child will inherit them also.”
“Wow....” I breathe.
“No shit, Ari,” Vincent responds.
Anna is literally speechless, opening and closing her mouth like a fish, and bouncing her head back and forth between those who are speaking.
“What kind of gifts?” Anna asks, speaking for the first time in a while.
“A healer, invisibility, telekinesis, telepathic, and teleporting. To name just a few.”
“Goodness,” Anna mumbles, crossing her arms and staring at Kai and me in wonder.
“Why did you reveal all that? Isn't that too much to tell us?”
“Yes… but no. You need to know everything that's at risk if Ava dies before she can birth The Prophesied One.”
“Wouldn't Ava be The Prophesied One?” I ask dumbly.
“No. She's The Chosen One.”
“There's a difference?” Kai scoffs.
“Yes. Ava is chosen to birth The Prophesied One, for her kind heart and uniqueness. Her child will be the greatest new power on earth in millenniums.”
“Why 2980?” I ask one of the many burning questions I have.
“Why don't you conceive until then?” Angel of Destiny replies, and I nod.
“Because Ava's mate will also be conceived around the same time, give or take a year or two. It's pivotal her mate is the right one, and he won't exist until then.”
“And what's his job? To just get my daughter pregnant as only a mate can? Is my daughter a means to an end with you?” Kai spits out angrily.
“I assure you, she is not. Her mate's job isn't just to get her pregnant, no. Their child will be Ava's and his destiny, yes; but their love will be transcendent and all their own.” Kai eyes her for a long time. Sensing her honesty, his tension finally begins to ease up.
“In the vision from the future, I saw that we keep Ava in the dark about who and what she is until she's older. Why is this?” I inquire with another question haunting me.
“If Ava is completely unaware of who she is, then she can't slip up and reveal herself to anyone who might be watching and listening, if they become suspicious she's The Chosen One. It's safer for her to remain in the dark, and a secret, until she's ready. A part of her being ready is with the help of her mate who, again, will appear when the time is right.”
“I'll help you protect her,” Anna tells me and Kai, and Vincent offers his help too.
“You can't. At least, not in the open. Anna and Vincent, your help will be best served at the academy, observing everything that's going on, and reporting your findings to Ariana and Kai from here.”
“I won't get to see them?” I ask, horrified, as Anna, Vincent, and Kai growl and hiss their displeasure.
“You can meet in a secret guarded location surrounded by a Witch’s warding you trust, near the academy. The warding must be protected against evil. It must be soundproofed, to protect from prying ears, and have invisibility to guard against those who may be watching,” Angel of Destiny begins to explain.
I look at Kai, Anna, and Vincent's faces to see if they have the same “WTF” expressions as I do, because clearly Destiny has this all planned out. This can no longer be a cruel joke; this is legit.
“Ariana, you may take your parents with you to serve as loving grandparents, and to help you raise your child as you and Kai wish – to start a new life together down below in New York. You must never mention the academy anywhere that isn't here. It's to remain a protected secret to anyone who isn't from Skyline City,” Angel of Destiny strictly orders. “May I suggest you acquire familiars?”
“We have some in mind,” Anna answers for me, sensing my mind is blowing up.
“I need to sit. I'm getting a headache,” I moan, rubbing my temples and the others make various grunts in agreement.
“One last thing before I go and leave you. Ava will make a friend one day, her name will begin with a ‘U’, I believe, and she'll be The Prophesied One's guardian angel.”
“Guardian angel?” Kai inquires.
“Yes. Someone to help guide and protect, and she'll be a loyal friend. She won't know she's a guardian angel or that she's even Paranormal – not at first. Don't fret, the bond between them will be real; nothing has been manipulated. In fact, this wasn't put into place by me or by mine. It's just something I foresee.”
“Okay then…” I reply because, at this point, I don't know what else I can say, except training class later today couldn't have come at a better time. I need to get out some of this fear, and now anxiety, with a good fight.
“You have all the knowledge you need to protect Ava and the world’s future from the coming evil. I wish you good luck in your quest,” Angel of Destiny says in her farewell, then disappears just as quickly as she arrived. Immediately, sounds come crashing back around me.
Time is once again moving.
“Well… holy hell. You two are quite the baby makers, huh?” Vincent muses, rubbing his chin, followed by a loud, “Ouch!” as Anna punches his arm.
“Oh, don't be a girl. You're supposed to be a big bad Panther, but you aren't looking so big or bad right now. Pity, I could've really used a fight,” Anna teases him and walks away towards the academy, a sway in her hips.
Vincent's eyes glue to her backside, wishing for x-ray vision to see through her jeans, if the focused expression is anything to go by.
“I'll see you guys later,” Vincent calls to me and Kai as he hurriedly follows Anna, leaving us alone, and I'm betting that's no coincidence either. It's their way of giving us time to deal.
Kai kisses me long and deep, his tongue stroking mine in a sensual dance as his hands slowly move up my body to cup my cheeks in his hands. I'm leaning against the bridge, our bodies pressed so tightly together nothing could slip in between. When Kai pulls back, we're both breathless and our chests are heaving. Kai and I stare at each other for a beat, then smile, and I know right then we'll be okay. We'll fight this together, as we do everything else.
“I love you,” I whisper, as he leans forward and kisses my jaw.
“I love you too, babe. So much it hurts to breathe sometimes.”
“We really should get back to the academy. Classes will be starting soon,” I murmur and together, we make our way back to PSA, hand in hand and smiling for now, but knowing there's a lot to come.
A few hours after the huge revelation from The Angel of Destiny, Kai, Anna, Vincent, and I are in gym class. Principal Clayton is one of the academy's fight enforcers and he trains us in skilled fighting with our bodies, hands, and weapons. Every day, Clayton puts us through our paces, making us do warm ups consisting of push-ups, an hour on the treadmill, and weights, before we even start the actual class. Many of us call him a drill sergeant in good humor.
I'm sitting down on the mat, in between Kai's legs, leaning against him and kissing his neck. He arches an eyebrow in a playful challenge above me, knowing full well I wouldn't do more than that in class. Anna and Vincent are in a similar position beside us, as we all wait our turn to go one on one with a classmate. I'm feeling relaxed and confident in one of my many outfits for training; gray three-quarter length leggings, a gray sports bra, and gray sneakers. My long black hair is pulled in a tight bun, with matching a black headband and two sweatbands on my wrists. Black fingerless gloves complete my look.
Anna's sporting black three-quarter length leggings, a red sports bra, and black sneakers, and is wearing the same headband and gloves as I am. The guys are in tank tops, shorts, and sneakers. Kai and Vincent are like all the other guys in the room, checking out mine and Anna's abs, muscled arms, and toned body
in our outfits, thanks to our Paranormal genes and hardcore workouts.
We block out the sound of fighting and weapons clinking together, and I say a spell quietly, so no one else can hear the four of us as we discuss what went down this morning.
“You must admit, though, the Angel of Destiny may have landed a huge pile of responsibility in your lap, but she aided you well,” Anna offers. I furrow my brows in thought.
“What do you mean?” Kai asks, tilting his head to the side.
“She's given us everything we need to protect Ava. She's giving her gifts to help her fight. She clearly wants you, and her, to succeed,” Anna explains. Now that I can objectively look at the situation and analyze the truth of her words, I realize she's right.
“You're right.” I voice my thoughts out loud.
“I'm always right,” she jokes.
“Yeah. I must agree, even though it pains me to do so, when she wants to throw my daughter in harm’s way. But fair is fair,” Kai says reluctantly, playing with the strap of my sports bra.
“So, what do we do now? What's the plan?” Vincent asks, rubbing Anna's bare stomach.
A whistle blows and Principal Clayton calls out Anna and Daisy's name to take the center mat. I shoot to my feet in horror, as Vincent and Kai do the same, alarm on their faces and chests rumbling. Daisy hates Anna, so she's going to go for blood. She's been glaring at her and Vincent all day, especially throughout classes, as it's obvious they're finally together now.
“Okay. Anna and Daisy, pick up two training knives each. Fight fairly, but challenge one another. Remember, a real enemy wouldn't go easy, so don't either of you. Use everything I've taught you so far. Ready?” When Anna and Daisy nod their understanding, Principal Clayton blows his whistle again.
I bite my lip nervously and fidget on my feet. It's PSA’s law that when students turn sixteen, they must attend this class and learn to fight because a war can happen at any time. In our world, there's always an enemy to fight and now, with the future I know is coming, it's become more vital to me to fight and excel at it.
Daisy reminds me of the Barbie dolls I've seen on TV from a long time ago, with how superficial she appears and the little amount of clothing she wears to try and grab the interest of all the guys. She comes across as the biggest ice queen in PSA – your modern day mean girl – but sometimes I see glimpses of a girl who's vulnerable when she thinks no one is observing.
Immediately, Daisy dives in and circles Anna, who in turn circles her. Daisy tries to slash Anna on her right side, but Anna blocks it by raising her knife, causing a clang to echo in the room. Daisy kicks out towards Anna's stomach, trying to get her off her balance, but she evades the move. Anna slams her foot on Daisy's knee and there's a loud snap. I wince at the sound, and watch as blood trickles down her leg. Anna broke Daisy's femur, making her stumble, having to put all her weight on one leg and causing her to hiss in pain.
Daisy strikes back as the bone snaps back into place, healing herself, and slides the knife cleanly from Anna's rib cage to her breast bone. Anna sucks in a quick breath as blood swells, then seeps through the wound, dripping onto the mat but quickly heals. The knives used in training aren't as razor-sharp as the ones used in battle, but sharp enough to cut. Principal Clayton believes in teaching us to feel the pain during training, so we're better able to deal with it out in the battlefield. I agree, especially since we heal fast.
Vincent lets out a protective growl. I grab his arm before he can insert himself into the middle of the fight, but honestly, I'm finding it hard to stay back myself. Daisy and Anna go for each other, both knives drawn and Anna slices Daisy up both her sides. Daisy quickly moves her right knife across Anna's cheek and the other from her collar bone down to her navel before hurriedly stepping back. Principal Clayton blows his whistle to end the fight. Blood flows from both Anna and Daisy but all wounds knit back together almost immediately. Blood stains Anna's sports bra that's barely hanging onto her, and it's pretty much shredded.
Vincent runs to Anna, who's breathing heavily and sweating, but hugs her anyway, asking if she's okay over and over.
“I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm healed,” she soothes him and his Panther.
“I know, but the scent of your blood drives me and my cat crazy with the need to protect what's ours.”
“I'm yours, huh?” Anna teases.
“You know you are,” Vincent confidently replies and takes off his tank top, dropping it down over Anna's head to cover her up.
“Well done, girls. It was a good fight. Next is Kai and Vincent, and you'll both be using knives,” Clayton announces, cleaning the mat with a spell.
Kai kisses me and I can see worry in his eyes. He clearly isn't looking forward to watching me fight. This is mine and Anna's first one on one class, so he hasn't had to watch it before, but he knows there's nothing he can do. A part of learning to fight is getting hurt, and you can't get better at it unless you learn your mistakes. Kai's been training for two years now, so he’s more advanced than I am. He can change into a wolf with fangs and claws to tear into an enemy, which already makes him a better fighter. All I have is my body and weapons to protect myself. I can use spells too, but I don't want to rely on those, and neither does he.
“Have fun killing each other,” I joke and both Vincent and Kai laugh, shaking their heads, thinking I'm “cute,” as Kai once told me.
Kai removes his tank top, placing it beside me, then they both walk to the mat. Anna and I sit back down on the mat and watch our guys fight with much more proficiency than us. I've watched Kai and Vincent before so I'm not freaked out to witness him getting hurt because I know he'll heal and be okay. It doesn't mean I necessarily like it but I don't get worked up over it either.
Anna downs a bottle of water and wipes off her sweat with a towel. I make sure the spell is still active before saying to Anna, “I think binding Ava's powers at birth will help hide and disguise her as human.” I see Vincent and Kai's ears perk at the sound of my voice, and I know they're listening.
“Good idea, babe,” I hear Kai say from across the room as Vincent knives his leg. Kai calls him an asshole, but Vincent laughs.
“And I want to tell my parents, to get their added protection and help us keep the secret. We'll need the help,” I say next, biting my lip, unsure if Kai will want the help or think I'm challenging his ability to protect us on his own.
“I agree. Maybe they'll even move to New York with us, when the time comes?” Kai answers quietly.
“It's going to take a joint effort to keep Ava safe until she can do it herself, so I definitely think they will come with us to help,” I tell him.
“That's some weight off my mind,” he murmurs quickly, dodging a blow from Vincent.
A few girls close by wonder why they can't hear what Kai and Vincent are talking about on the mat. They attempt to push through my magic that's surrounding us, keeping everything we say confidential, but my spell zaps them with purple sparks in warning. The girls yelp and take the hint, backing off, eyeing me from across the room, clearly guessing my work from my signature. Each witch and warlock has a magical signature; either the color of their magic or a feeling that you get that was purposely attached to the spell.
“I think you should both get jobs within The Government so you can keep track of what's going on, because people talk,” Anna adds.
“Your smart brain turns me on,” Vincent says, winking at Anna, then dodges a strike from Kai, but Kai quickly twists his hands and glides his knife across Vincent's stomach.
“Now who's an asshole?” Vincent banters with Kai, who grins smugly in return at his best friend.
“Yikes,” I mutter, watching the blood flow from the fresh wound and Anna scowls at my boyfriend in good humor. She knows there's no real foul.
“Had to get you back,” Kai says, continuing to grin.
A few more minutes pass, with both missing hits or knifing each other, when Clayton blows his whis
tle and tells me it's my turn with Sophia. I don't know her well, but I've seen her around PSA. Clayton's always switching up with what he instructs us to use during a fight scene, so that we're always kept off guard somewhat, like how a real fight would be.
I stand and mouth, “I'll be okay” to Kai as we walk past each other.
“Sophia, you'll be using knives, and Ariana, you'll be weaponless,” Clayton orders. Kai growls, his body shaking, and Vincent whispers to him to calm down.
I tune my hearing into him and my friends. Sophia and I say hi and smile at each other, not taking the fight personally like some do. She's dressed similarly to me and Anna, and has the same toned athletic body, like all the other girls. She's pretty, with her brunette mid-length hair, hazel eyes, and those sharp cheek bones of hers are stunning.
Clayton blows his whistle to begin and Sophia doesn't hesitate, the knife in her right hand coming at me and it nicks my arm. Blood swells from the cut and I ignore the pain. I lift my left foot and slam it into her chest, sending her flying backwards with a loud thud. Sophia immediately gets back up and we meet in the middle, grinning at each other. This is fun. I give her a right uppercut and blood spurts from her mouth, and I pivot away, which was an error on my part. Clayton's words ring loud in my head. “Never take your eyes off your enemy,” just as I feel Sophia's knife slice down my back. I suck in a sharp breath as the scent of iron hits the air, my blood flowing freely. I block the pain as it begins to heal.
I hear Kai's growls and then Vincent tell him, “No, man. Let her fight.”
I glance briefly at him and catch the wolf in his eyes. His body is vibrating, due to his growling and the rage from scenting my blood. Vincent has his hand on Kai's chest, holding him back. All the wolf sees right now is that its mate is hurt, even though we haven't actually mated yet, and there's no real danger. Anna is moving her head back and forth between watching Vincent try to calm down Kai and monitoring the fight with Sophia and me.