These days running ignites a feeling within my bones unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. The hill that Abel’s home sits atop is about 10 miles from school and by the time I reach the path leading to his door, I realize it’s not only the first time I’ve stopped but that it’s also only been 24 minutes since I’ve left the school parking lot. That can’t be right, my watch must be off. Cautiously I knock on the red door, still unsure about whether or not I should be here. Silence. Maybe he’s not home yet.
Turning, I begin to walk away from the quiet home, but then I remember how Eliath and Shoshanna seemed to have absolutely no issue coming over to my house the other night and suddenly I find some much needed boldness. Marching back to the red door, I pound my fist ferociously against the knotted wood. As my arm comes down over and over again, my head leans against the door as well. It’s not until I feel wetness on my cheeks that I realize I am crying. Why am I crying? I need to know what is happening, please someone tell me what is happening to me, PLEASE! Answer this damn door and tell me! My foot starts finding a place near the bottom of the entrance as well and upon the third kick, it suddenly opens and Eliath catches me as the weight intended for the door hits him instead.
“What’s wrong, Cate? Are you alright?” His tone is calm but I find it more irritating than if he were angry with me for what I said to him the last time I was here. I want to yell and scream and demand that he tells me everything he knows but before I ever get the chance, the blackness comes, and I am somewhere else.
###
“Catherine? Catherine, wake up. They’re coming.” I open my eyes to see the face of the boy who has become my everything, the only person I trust with my life. “Catherine, they’re nearly here, you need to go with Theo and Linc. They’ll take you away from this place.” His voice is crisp and I want to stay here and hang onto his words forever but before I get the chance to linger I feel my body being lifted. I am light in these arms. “I won’t see you again until Aliah has fallen. Stay safe, I love you.”
###
“Cate? Cate, dear.” My ears awake from the grogginess of unconsciousness before my eyes. Blinking to sync the pair of senses, a jolt of panic races up my spine and I begin to shift my weight upwards. “Calm down, Cate, you’re safe. Eliath and I are right here next to you.”
Suddenly, I remember not only where I am, but more importantly, why I am here. Again, I begin to shift, trying to force myself into alertness, though tiredness soon runs over me and I sink into the sofa again. My intention for this visit was not friendly, though lying here now, in the one place I should feel tense, I am strangely at ease. Shoshanna’s words begin to ring true and I do feel safe. I find the energy to muster, “Who are you? And don’t tell me what you’ve told everyone since stepping into this town. Tell me who you are, really.” My sight focuses on the seriousness in their eyes and I know they know what I’m getting at, the answers I am so utterly craving.
Shoshanna drapes one arm around my shoulders and with the other she helps raise my torso so that I am once again at one with gravity and sitting upright. She then settles against the cushions to my left. Eliath is at home in the white leather chair opposite me. Though he hasn’t said a word, I feel the cogs turning in his mind at whatever it is he is about to tell me. After months of questions, here I am, finally about to be shown the blueprint for the puzzle I’ve been desperately trying to piece together.
“Cate,” he begins, his voice is rough yet sincere, as if he is both scared and prepared for the words to come. “What I am about to tell you may prove difficult to grasp, but I promise, every single word of it is not only true but also imperative to your survival, to all of ours. And by the end, you will know in your heart that the unbelievable is real and that everything I have told you is accurate.” My stomach drops and though the anticipation is enough to stop my blood from flowing through my veins, I feel a lump of fear lurch deep within my stomach and I wonder if perhaps I should have never come here at all. My desire to know the truth about myself and these people is overwhelming and I simply nod my head. I feel Shoshanna’s hand, cool and steady, clutch mine as he begins.
“There was a time when all who walked the Earth feared the Heavens. So much so that humanity focused on little more than satisfying their Creator. Their days consisted of worship and sacrifice, adhering to a strict code of laws at all times. And though the world was calm, safe, many of the simple joys that were meant for humanity were soon forgotten. The will to make a life for oneself, to enjoy the freedoms that were promised to them, to make something of the world that was theirs alone, those tendencies where lost. The intentions for the human race had been altered and so in an effort to change the fate of humans, a man was created, though he was so much more than any one man before him. He embodied everything, all of life’s pleasures that had been ignored. A true catalyst of free will whose purpose was to infuse the idea of self-preservation and thus ensure the future of a beloved people. His name was Aliah, and he was blessed with amazing abilities. Armed with the capacity to make other’s feel worthy of something different, something more than what they always thought life to be, hundreds of thousands trekked continents to be near him. However, as years passed, time would prove that the world was too much for Aliah, his freedom shifted into greed and he became without loyalty, corrupting the world while simultaneously being corrupted by it. His ability to comfort and allow others to forget their worries turned into the ability to deceive, to manipulate for his own needs.”
Aliah, the name turns in my mind and my back stiffens, nerves clinging onto my muscles, refusing to allow me the pleasure of breathing at a normal pace. The knowledge of him feels like I’m being retold a fable from when I was young, and is accompanied by the innate fear that comes when the evil witch enters the landscape of a little girl’s mind.
“Slowly, he began enslaving the very people he was sent to free.” Eliath leans forward. “You see, Cate, our Creator began to realize that nothing can be put into this world without a balanced opposite. And so another man was created, though this time he was ruled by love rather than freedom, with the hope that humanity would follow good rather than evil. And with that, the imprint he began to leave on all who encountered him was filled with loyalty, dedication and a sense of obedience to not only the heavens but to his fellow man as well. He, too, was blessed with abilities, the ability to see a man’s heart and mind, to see his most inner desires, and to show him how to obtain his needs while also fulfilling his purpose in life.
“Upon hearing of the second’s man existence, Aliah called for him at once. Knowing that the two of them were the only beings blessed with abilities that could alter the fate of the world, Aliah tried to turn him into what he himself had become. The two men struggled, wanting each other’s companionship while also helpless to abide by each of their designed messages. A brotherly bond held the two together, though soon they realized that forever they would be gridlocked, disagreeing so wholly on the path of man.”
My nerves hit their peak and I begin picking at my cuticles.
“At this the heavens decided to populate the Earth with more uniquely evolved beings, forever known to one another as Tylins. Blessed from conception, it was the purpose of their creation to live amongst the two men, to understand their ideals and to ultimately choose which side would be best to lead humanity. Millions of Tylins populated the regions and as hundreds of years passed, sides were chosen and lines were drawn. From Aliah, self-proclaimed rebels sprung. Calling themselves The Brotherhood of Nasai, they preached ultimate freedom through self-awareness, true free will as Aliah proclaims it was meant. And from his brother, his adversary, The Guild of Guardians was born. Sworn to protect all of mankind from the evil that comes out of pure selfishness, from the evil that is the Nasai.”
The room goes silent and I sit there, carefully pondering over each word that was spoken, quietly absorbing a history lesson few have ever heard. I pull my hand from Shoshanna’s to try and steady my nerves. My gaze is
focused on the floor. “You’re the second man, aren’t you?” The words escape my lips before I can even give myself permission to say them, and I know the answer before he responds. He remains silent until my head tilts up and my eyes meet his.
“Yes, Cate.”
Suddenly I think back to his tale, the ability to see a man’s heart and mind, I wonder if he knows what I’m thinking now. And that’s when it hits me, if what he says is true, he knew why I came, he knew exactly what I needed to hear to believe, and I do. I believe every word.
“Why are you here? What does any of this have to do with me?” My voice cracks with the desperation that’s wracked my soul for months and I turn to search Shoshanna’s face for a sign that she will help me the rest of the way.
“Cate,” he continues, “After sides were formed, great battles ensued and since each Tylin is blessed with a single supernatural ability as well as evolved physicality, the battles were not only ruthless unlike anything the world had seen, but also too evenly matched for either side to walk away truly victorious. For two hundred and eighty years, our people warred against each other to the brink of extinction and so one final key was placed into this world—a Tylin with not one, but three abilities and with that, the advantage to end the wars once and for all. She is the Altruist, the true guardian of man.”
As his story unfolds and the pieces begin to connect, my nerves turn into intent focus and I narrow my eyes that now meet his, hanging on each word that leaves his mouth.
“Upon her arrival into the world, she stopped all Tylin time. Pausing our race until her 18th birthday, when her abilities will fully mature and she is able to lead the world into freedom the way it was intended. As somewhat of a failsafe, a clause was created so that should she meet her demise before her 18th birthday, her soul will find its way back into life over and over, keeping our race paused until she is able to mature and even the playing field. With each life she leads, the guild has sworn to protect her until she is able to lead our people. As ten human years is equal to that of one Tylin year, we have waited and waited for her to grow into the warrior she is promised to be, our lives paused in the process. This unique fact struck Aliah and he soon realized that as long as the Altruist was never able to see her eighteenth birthday, he—we all—could in theory live forever.”
“Hold on,” I say, “So, none of you can die?”
“Not exactly, we’re still completely susceptible to injury, disease and starvation; only, since the clause was introduced, the aging and reproduction cycles have stopped. And so to keep the natural life cycle paused, Aliah created an elite group of soldiers, assassins with direct orders to murder the Altruist over and over so that he may live forever. You see, mankind is malleable, and the Nasai have found their manipulation is all but too easy. Aliah will put up with the inconvenience of killing a child again and again so that he may control man and hold all the power this world has to offer, a puppet master of sorts. Cate, the dreams, they aren’t dreams—they’re memories. Memories of all the times we’ve come so close and failed.”
Shoshanna begins to cry and a surge of energy comes over me. Suddenly everything was clicking into place, the dreams, and the attacks, how strong I’ve felt. Eliath stands and walks towards us. “You are the Altruist, Cate, and we’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
Chapter 11 — Abel
My black canvas shoes kick at the pebbles beneath my feet. The dirt road to my home in this adopted town is uneven and I nearly trip against a riff in the surface. It’s been over a week since I last spoke to Cate, heard her voice, saw her eyes, and felt her soft skin against mine, and it has left me feeling hollow. Being away from her has always been difficult, but being rejected by her, this is new and I hate it. I want to shake her and demand she stop acting like a child, demand that she remember me, demand that she comes back. We’ve been through this so many times, but always together and now more than ever, more than the centuries spent protecting her from afar, I feel alone, and I am.
I spot a boulder set by the side of the road and lean my back against it. The stone is cold, so cold that it steals the warmth nestled beneath my shirt. All week I have felt myself fly from one extreme to the other, anger and despair. How am I supposed to navigate through life without her, how am I supposed to protect her if she won’t even speak to me? I pull my left wrist towards my face and squint, trying to make out the time on my wristwatch in the fading sun. 8pm. I find myself searching for any excuse to stay out of my parents’ house these days. Seventeen for all of these years and I am still under my parents’ supervision, still claim a single room—in their home—a fact that ebbs at my skin, creating a sub-dermal pressure that is becoming too restrictive to ignore.
The air that cascades through these mountains is crisp and the grey, seamless, ever expanding sky is heavy with the threat of snow. I welcome the thought of winter closing in; makes the world a bit quieter, and right now, quiet is what I need.
My legs carry me up the path to this foreign home, my home. This is my home, why do I find myself struggling with the concept of a new place, the concept of new memories to be made and old ones forgotten? It doesn’t really matter which mountain range surrounds me, which ocean fills the air with salt, which plain stretches as far as my eyes can grasp. The only thing that matters, the only thing that has ever mattered, is her. Her happiness takes me in and lends itself to my sometimes too serious nature, her hopes and all of the hopes that lie within her, all of my hopes.
I turn the knob, dreading another evening spent alone in my room. Being left to myself only propels the crescendo of self-analysis in my mind, only prolongs the what if’s and the if I had done this instead.
“I’m home.” My voice sounds distant, even to myself, like it is coming from someone who has seen war and death, someone who has lost too many and saved too few.
“Would you step in here, son?” My father’s voice calls from down the hall. Today is a day I’d like to see the end of and anymore talk of the Nassai will undoubtedly claim more of me than I am willing to offer.
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather just head to bed—”
“Abel?” Cate’s timid voice interrupts me, and my course changes direction. After all of this time, regardless of what she will ever do or say, I will always crave her in a way that I’m not sure she could ever understand. Being responsible for a person’s life and death, over and over will change you. I wish I could pinpoint the exact genetic marker etched deep into my DNA that promised me to her. Even though I can’t see it, even though she can’t see it, I know it’s there because I feel it ache the second her eyes meet mine. I search her face, the fierce anger that occupied it the last time we spoke has now been replaced with a gentle understanding, topped off with a twinge of fear. Glancing at my parents’ faces, I know. I know she knows who I am and who she is—my soul is complete again.
I walk towards her and embrace her in my arms, my body pleading with her to understand just how much I need her. Her arms lock around my shoulder, her face begins to nuzzle into my neck and I keep her there as long as possible. My parents are standing beside us, undoubtedly staring and I don’t care, but I know she does so I reluctantly release her. I keep her hand interlocked in mine, as if to symbolize to all in the room that I am hers.
“What happens now?” Cate’s voice reaches out, small and unsure, urging any of us to help her make the story she’s heard complete.
“We’ve filled you in on quite a bit…” my mother, always the nurturer, says. “I think it may be best if Abel takes it from here, for now, at least.”
At this my hand, clasped around hers, leads her to the front door. I’m not sure what it is that I need to say, or even how to say it, but I do know, that whatever it is, it can’t be said here in my parents’ home.
Chapter 12 — Cate
Abel’s car winds up back roads, through tree lines that cut into the darkness of the sky. His hand hasn’t let go of mine since we left his house, and though a sing
le word hasn’t been uttered between the two of us, I know he is happy we are together, just as I am.
We drive for only fifteen minutes but are already deep into the wooded area to the north of our sleepy city. No light or sound exists except for the roar of the engine. Nothing, total darkness. If I were with anyone else, I may be wary of this situation in general. But I’m not with just anyone—I am with Abel, and I am lucky.
Rounding a bend in the road, the tree line that was so ominous moments ago begins to break and in the shadow of the moonlight I begin to make out a structure in the distance. The tires skid in the dirt as the car comes to a quick stop and Abel walks around to open my door. As I get out, I scan where he has taken me. Tall boulders resting in the earth creates a path spiraling to a center where a modest stone building lies.
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