The Sun Child (The Sun Child Saga Book 1)

by Mihalitsianos, Monique

  “Why is it strange?”

  I see her growing confident, like we’ve just waded into familiar territory. “Because so far, all supernatural phenomena have had some sort of origin or explanation in the ancient myths,” She explains. “It doesn’t even matter if the supernatural phenomena are true or a product of human imagination. For example, did you know vampires and werewolves were, in the beginning, the same being?”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I’m a supernatural junkie.” She says, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Whether there was some sort of monster that was a mix between a vampire or a werewolf or whether it was an exaggeration of a description of an ordinary wild beast, the vampire and the werewolf were the same being. Only later did they evolve into two separate monsters, because, culturally, one group of people invented stories and myths that centered around certain characteristics of this monster, like blood-sucking and transfiguration, and another group of people invented another set of stories and myths focusing on the relationship of the monster to the moon and the night, and its aggressiveness in attack and beastliness in shape—characteristics that can easily bring to mind the figure of the wolf.”

  “You sound very academic.”

  She sighs in frustration. “This is the furthest thing from academia there is, Daniel. Don’t you understand?”

  “No. Half of what you’re saying makes no sense to me,” I reply. “What does this have to do with The Children of the Sun and The Immortals?”

  She takes a deep breath. “The only plausible explanations as to why there is no record, not even a hint of these two kinds of supernatural beings in history, is either because someone has hidden the evidence of what and who we are, or because we are so ancient that any records or explanations about our power have either been lost in the shadows of history or completely forgotten by even ourselves.”

  “But that’s not true. We remember where we come from.”

  “Really?” She says, her eyes flashing eagerly. I’ve seen that look before in Kismet, whenever anybody was telling her of our people’s history. The reminder of her makes me ache inside.

  “Yeah. Our powers started manifesting themselves around 800 B.C.”

  “Do you know anything else?”

  I shake my head. “There are no books about our history. Everything we know is passed down orally.”

  “That’s not a very scientific way of handling such important information, especially this day and age,” She says, “Do you at least remember what they told you?”

  “Only some bullshit about how we were blessed by the fates by being granted this power.” I say, not bothering with being tactful. “Not much else.”

  “That’s weird.” Piper stares at me. “There’s something fishy here. I’m not sure what it is, but I want to find out.”

  I’ve never been curious as to the origins of our powers. People who were curious, like Kismet, usually found ‘the-fates-blessed-us’ explanation more than enough. But now my heart is beating rapidly, and I feel like somehow, this skinny, pale girl with pretty eyes and way too much eyeliner has made some sort of major breakthrough; only, I’m not really sure what it is.

  “Piper, all this is…interesting,” I say, trying to push her words out of my mind. “But I can’t really think about it now. Remember the fire eaters?”

  She nods.

  “Well, all I can really focus on right now is that.”

  “I totally get it.” She says, and begins fidgeting again.

  “Listen, I just sort of want to read my book right now, if that’s okay. Maybe later we can talk about this some more?”

  “Sure.” She hops off the bench and starts walking away. “See you at six?”

  I nod and return to my book, but find the story not nearly as engrossing as before.

  -*-

  Shane is awake when I reach my apartment. A pizza box lies open by the side of my bed with a few slices left.

  “Want some?” He asks.

  “Yeah, I’m starving.” With perfect timing, my stomach rumbles. I put my book down on the mattress and sit on the floor, taking a slice of pizza.

  “How long have you been awake?” I ask between bites. He looks better, that’s for sure. He’s not as pale anymore, and the bags under his eyes are less pronounced.

  “Just recently.” He says, taking a deep breath. “Thanks for everything, man.”

  “No problem.” I eat the remaining pizza and get up to wash my hands in the sink.

  “So how did it go?” Shane asks, standing up and sitting on the kitchen counter.

  “Pretty well. I found four new Immortals.”

  Shane whistles, impressed. “That’s all of them.”

  “What?”

  “The witch said three, maybe four maximum,” he explains, “How did you find them all in one day?”

  “I went to the high school.”

  “Good job.”

  “Can I ask you something, Shane?” I say suddenly.

  “Yeah.”

  “Do the Immortals have any records of their origins?”

  The more I think about Piper’s speculations, the more they rattle me. I’m beginning to think Rafael, and maybe even the Prophetess, has been hiding vital pieces of information about who we are and where we come from. Why did we all automatically buy into the vagueness of our history? There has to be something more, I just know it.

  “Yeah, sure,” Shane says, looking surprised. “Don’t you?”

  I shrug uncompromisingly. “A little.”

  “The Immortals are basically a result of a scientific experiment,” He says. “This chemist named Theodore—well, we call him a chemist, but in his notebooks, he actually says he was an alchemist—was experimenting with prolonging human life back in the 1660s. Nothing out of the ordinary—that’s what the alchemists have always tried to do, right?”

  “I guess. I didn’t even know that alchemy was real.”

  “Dude,” he says, eyes widening a fraction, “Everything is real.”

  “What happened with us was that this guy’s experiment backfired. And I don’t know how, or why, or in what way, but his DNA sequence was restructured completely, infusing him with the super strength that characterizes our kind. Crazy stuff, as you can tell. Some people think a witch helped him out, they believe would have been impossible without magic. But anyway, he became the first Immortal—a name given to us in memory of his search for alchemical immortality, even if it never became a reality.” Shane takes a pause to study my face before continuing. “He passed his gift to his only son, Viktor. And that’s how we were introduced into the world. Of course, we multiplied through the decades, and when we found out about your people’s race and doings, made it our mission to use our powers to exterminate you all.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.” I mumble under my breath.

  “Why not?” He arches an eyebrow.

  I look down. “It’s just that…I once fought this Immortal…” I don’t say killed for obvious reasons, “…who told me that ever since our race was born, which, according to our history was around 800 B.C, the Immortals have always been there to fight us. Like it’s their mission to take us down for some reason. But you say that you’ve only existed since the 1660s.”

  Shane frowns. “She told you that?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “No, I’m just as confused as you are,” He says. “I’ve only heard the story about Theodore the Alchemist.”

  I look at his eyes. He stares back, unflinching. He doesn’t seem to be lying, but I could be wrong. “Odd.” I finally murmur.

  “Well, what about you guys?” He asks. “How did your race come to be?”

  “Fate blessed us.”

  “That’s…vague.”

  I shrug.

  “None of that matters anyway.” Shane says. “Not today.”

  I don’t agree with him. Our origins have to matter, e
ven if I can’t explain why, because I don’t know myself.

  “You should tell Piper that story,” I say, “She would like it.”

  “Wait,” Shane says, holding up a hand. “You told them about us?”

  “Yeah,” I answer, frowning.

  “How did they take it?” He says urgently. “Did you tell them they were never going to see their families again?”

  “No, I thought I’d better leave that up to you.”

  Shane sighs in relief.

  “And it went well, I guess,” I say. “We didn’t break out into a fight or anything.”

  He lets out a short laugh. “Daniel Maze, you continue to impress me.”

  “Yeah, well, haven’t you heard about my tremendous people skills?”

  He gets up from the counter and fills a glass with tap water, drinking it all in a few gulps. “Indeed. So, are you going to help me train them or what?”

  “I don’t fight like an Immortal.” I say, “I don’t know proper martial arts.”

  “How do you fight?”

  I look at the box lying next to the stack of books in the corner. “Weapons,” I say. My knives are inside the box, as polished and as sharp as if they were brand new. Training is one practice I haven’t given up.

  “Awesome,” Shane says, a smile quickly spreading on his face. “What kind?”

  “Knives. Two of them.” I open the box and take them out.

  “May I?” Shane says, ogling the shining knives.

  “Yeah, sure.” I smile and hand him a blade.

  “Awesome.” He says, testing its weight in his hands.

  I spend the next couple of hours teaching Shane how to throw knives and a few defensive and offensive tactics you can use in combat with them. I draw a bulls-eye on the wall with a pencil for us to practice our aim, and he turns out to be pretty good. We’re trashing the wall of my apartment, but I don’t really care, it already has a bunch of holes in it from my previous solo practices. What’s a few more?

  “We’re going to have to buy you your own pair,” I say, after he hits the bulls-eye straight in the middle for the third time in a row. He’s a natural, like me. Which sort of pisses me off…

  Just a little.

  Training

  We cut our practice short when we hear a knock on the door.

  “Those must be the kids,” Shane says.

  I look down at my watch. It’s six fifteen, about time they got here. Shane opens the door and lets them in.

  “Guys, this is Shane,” I say, introducing him. “This is Brandon, Piper, Kyle, and Alesha.” They shake hands and greet each other, looking shy and uncomfortable.

  “So how’s it going?” Shane asks, smiling at them broadly.

  “Just the usual…” Brandon says. “Joining a secret club of super strong people to fight off some gut-eating freaks.”

  Everyone laughs, and that breaks the ice. Kyle walks over to me and holds out his fist. I bump it with mine. Piper smiles at me tentatively. She has washed off the eyeliner from her face, and the lack of makeup makes her look younger. She’s quite pretty, with her fair skin, silver-blonde hair and gray eyes. She doesn’t look ghostlike anymore without the heavy make-up. I smile back.

  Shane positions himself in front of us and begins to speak.

  “Let me formally introduce myself,” he says, his voice going down an octave. “I’m Shane Kostopolous.” He looks each and every one of them in the eyes before continuing. “I have some very important things to say that I want all of you to carry with you for the rest of your lives.”

  I sit back, letting him do his thing. He speaks eloquently and slowly, giving every word the weight it deserves. I haven’t heard him speak like that before, and it catches me by surprise.

  “You are an Immortal because you were born for justice.” He says gravely. “Every single one of you in this room was born to fight on the side of goodness and humanity.” He pauses. The room is silent. “We are a tribe of warriors who fight the criminals who kill and heal as they please; a race of people with a power to deal out life and death at will and who believe themselves to be the commanders of human fates. These criminals are called The Children of the Sun, and they are abominations of nature.”

  “What the fuck, Shane?” I say, trying hard but failing to not take offense.

  “Except for my man Daniel here, of course,” He says. “He’s the sickest Sun-Child this side of town.” I gape at him in disbelief, and he sort of shrugs apologetically before continuing. “By fighting our enemy, by destroying them, we restore humanity to the righteousness and benevolence of nature. We are called the Immortals, not because we can live forever, but because we guard the sacred and immortal circle of life.”

  “We are the protectors of not only humans, but of what is right and true according to the natural precepts of existence.”

  I scoff. This is getting a little out of line.

  “This you can question, if you want,” He continues. “I, for one, have questioned it thoroughly, and have always reached the same conclusion.”

  “Which is what?” Piper asks, interrupting.

  Shane looks at her curiously. “You’re Piper, right?”

  She nods.

  “Daniel told me you were interested in our history.”

  I smile at her. She smiles back at me really quickly before staring back at Shane.

  “The conclusion I have always reached is that no one should have the power to heal and to take life at their own will.”

  Piper bites down on her lip, as if restraining herself from talking back.

  “Daniel used to be a part of them,” He says, flashing me a smile that I don’t return. “He was a Sun-Child, but he is no more. He does not use his vision to kill or to heal. He has abandoned his kind, but not to fight against them. It is not our mission, for the present, to fight against the criminals who attempt to destroy the natural cycle of fate and nature, because this will not be a conventional tribe.”

  I breathe in deeply. He’s right, we have banded together for something else entirely. Something that goes beyond our differences. Besides, I’m not even sure what my kind is doing with their powers anymore. At least not now that Rafael is planning to take over the world.

  “I have asked Daniel to gather all of you here tonight because you are special, and I am offering you the chance to fight against something infinitely more monstrous and dangerous,” He says, a shadow coming over his eyes. “The Children of the Sun have bred within themselves, and their spawn, the fire eaters, are massacring humans. Worse than that, they are uncontrollable and mindless, like beasts, and are clumsy in their killing. They are a major threat to the secrecy of all supernatural beings, but an even bigger threat to human life. And if we don’t stop them, your own father and mother, your blood relatives, the people you love and care for, could be next.” He pauses and stares at them all. “I ask you now: Do you want to become an Immortal?” His voice rises even more. “Or will you stand aside and do nothing with the strength that has been given to you and throw away the gift that was meant to protect and guard the lives of others?”

  “What do you mean the Sun-Children have bred between themselves?” Piper says, shattering the momentum Shane was surely hoping to create with his speech. “Isn’t that what everybody does? Why are they breeding monsters?”

  “Um, that’s kind of a long story,” I tell her. “But maybe we can talk about it later?”

  “Yeah, it’s really not the point right now,” Shane says, sighing and visibly trying to reign in his frustration at having been interrupted. “Are you guys in or not?”

  Silence envelops us. No one says a word, and I can feel the tension growing again.

  “Listen, I have faith in this tribe,” Shane says. “Even if you don’t have faith in yourselves yet.”

  “I’m in,” Piper says quietly. We all turn to look at her, and her paper-white face goes beet-red. “You know what they say…” She mumbles. “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Our eyes lock together for a moment before I quickly look away.

  “Well, what does joining you entail, exactly?” Brandon says, eyes narrowed.

  “Yeah,” Alesha seconds. “I don’t really understand what we’re supposed to do.”

  “One mission for now,” Shane answers. “Kill a pack of fire eaters in Billings. So you can get to see what we’re all about.”

  “And then what?” Kyle says. Here comes the hard part. How will Shane break this to them? How will he tell them they are to leave this town and never see their families again? And more importantly, how will they react? I bite down on my fingernails, a cold sweat forming on the back of my neck.

  “Then you come back here and return to your regular lives, and we’ll call you in the future if we need anything.” Shane says simply.

  Um…what?

  I stare at him, but he deliberately avoids my gaze.

  “Meet me here every afternoon after school to train before going on our mission,” he continues. “I don’t care what you have to do to get here, but all of you will get here, and you will give it your best. Understood?”

  “And then…we come back here?” Kyle asks, and Shane nods.

  For Pete’s sake. Shane is lying straight to their faces. And it works because what he’s saying sounds so reasonable. They don’t know that someone with supernatural powers can’t ever go back to their ordinary life again, or that the purpose of a tribe is to band together under one identity, an identity bigger and more meaningful than blood family. The Immortals would never be able to fight us if they weren’t a tribe. And we would be completely unprotected if we didn’t band together as well.

  Except for me, of course. I’ve got the sun-shaped scar on my back that gives me all the protection I need.

  “Excuse me,” Alesha says. “I live with my parents. I can’t just up and leave. They’ll call the police if I do.”

  “Alesha’s right,” Brandon says. “And when did we ever agree to this, anyhow? What happens if I don’t want to sneak away?”

  “And I still don’t understand how this super strength thing works,” Kyle says. “Why do I have it and my brother doesn’t?”