There were two openings. We took the right. Celeste sat on her dress, suggesting I do the same. We didn’t move—just sat there. I couldn’t contain myself and, I had to ask why. She told me that the guardians would deliver us soon. I never would’ve imagined in a million years how they’d deliver us to them.
Lightning crackled below us. Colors swirled in various patterns only visible with the ripple of lightning. It was deafening and beautiful. I felt such power beneath me. I couldn’t help wondering who or what exactly these guardians were.
Thunder rumbled, lifting us into the air. My whole body shook, piercing me with such pain. I felt as if I were being split in two. If I could have screamed, the dread would’ve lessened, but nothing I tried worked.
The vibrations from the thunder carried us through the tunnels, sometimes dropping us for several seconds at a time as if we’d hit air pockets. It was as if, when the lightning crackled, thunder carried us and it wasn’t until it crackled again that we were able to fly.
Finally, we fell into the dark waters. Light shined below us. Celeste made me follow her into the water. Swimming has never been my thing. My lungs fought against me and just as I thought I couldn’t hold my breath a second longer, an underwater tunnel appeared. We swam through, gasping for air. Our heads hit a low cave covering. There was just enough room for our mouths to suck in oxygen.
A small opening in the cave wall, just barely large enough for us to squeeze through, sat before us. Celeste hoisted herself up sideways, struggling through the opening. The overhang rubbed along her back as her feet went through. She disappeared, shouting for me to follow. It took everything I had to slip through that opening.
It was totally worth all the headaches I’d endured trying to get to the guardians. When my feet finally touched the ground beneath me, electrical currents rushed through my veins, igniting me with more power than I’d ever felt.
I turned around. Diamond and gold trimmed columns lined our path. Celeste grinned at me for the first time. Her eyes sparkled and she stood on her tip toes. She told me how she missed being home. What did she mean by that exactly?
Several persons stood in three uniform rows of five. The ceiling above us arched. Gems peeked out of the walls, shimmering in the firelight of the cloaked men’s torches. I never saw anything like it.
Celeste stepped forward, bowing before them. The people wore floor length cloaks, some white, others black, with silver trimming. They covered their faces in silver masks lined in gemstones. A hood draped over their heads and they girded themselves with a belt made of sea shells.
I imitated Celeste, bowing low to the floor. One of the people stood before us, offering their hand. I went to take it but Celeste smacked it away. She made me promise to never touch a cloaked one. I found the reason moments later. They weren’t guardians. The cloaked ones were epochalites. At first, I wanted to watch the creation of a new one—until I met them in person.
The epochalite removed his hooded cloak, letting it fall to his feet. I looked up at him, barely able to breathe as he removed his mask. He sent shivers down my spine and suddenly, I grew powerless. His eyes were dull and lifeless, nearly void of all color. His skin, as milky as it could possibly be, blinded me. There wasn’t anything beautiful about him. The hair on his body was gone as were the muscles in his arms and chest. His bones showed and his back hunched. Was he really this frail? I’d seen massive amounts of power on my way towards them. Who contained this?
Dr. John refused to set eyes on the guardians. I couldn’t help but think that our adventure down into the cave was a trap. Celeste trembled, giving away her fears. Even she wondered the same thing.
The epochalite called himself Sucki, claiming to have once been a Native American before his cursed existence. His name meant darkness. His heart, he said, was shriveled and cold. He wondered why we wished to become like him. Celeste cried, claiming she’d never asked to be an epochalite. I pleaded with the man to not make me like him.
Celeste said we’d come to watch them turn the volunteer into an epochalite. Sucki informed us that there was no such person. She asked if he’d show us the way to the guardians.
Sucki hesitated, he asked what that might mean for Celeste. Her sins were still not forgiven. What did that mean exactly? She wouldn’t tell me.
We were led through a corridor, and entered a great hall filled with books. Shelf upon shelf held literature from our past. My heart filled with inspiration. Why did each room give me new feelings?
Two men and a woman sat at a mahogany table, their heads in books. They didn’t acknowledge our existence for several minutes. The one called Nootau asked us what our desires consisted of. At first, I did not understand.
Celeste knelt, promising her desires were pure and unselfish. She was merely there to observe their greatness. I nodded, saying the same. Nootau shook his head, frowning. He told me I was a dark force, belonging to the desires he fought. He held me by the chin, peering into my eyes. His were pale yellow and his skin was lighter than the others. Nootau’s arms were strong and he made me nervous in the same way as Alex once did. His fingers tightened, pulling me closer until our noses nearly touched. Nootau called me a traitor.
“Alex has failed us. This girl is no good for what we need done,” Nootau said before whispering ‘traitor’ in my ear.
I fell down. The other man whom Celeste called Inteus slapped his book shut, asking the woman, Chepi, to do the same. They encircled me, the three Indians, dressed in business attire. I thought I was bound for death. My life was to belong to the epochalites. Dr. John had tricked me! Why did they think Alex failed them?
Chepi smiled, twirling in circles. Glittering motes floated around the room. Had she created it? Her hair flew as she turned. Chepi was graceful and charming. Celeste whispered to me that she was the fairy, a master of manipulation, the one who trained the groupies.
I asked her what a groupie was. She didn’t respond, only glanced before her, mesmerized by Chepi.
The Indian woman made us forget the others, Nootau and Inteus. My mind wandered, thinking of what it would be like to read all the books on the shelves and then I hoped there was still time for me to do so. My heart beat fast.
Nootau grabbed Celeste by the arm, dragging her out of the library. Chepi barricaded me from standing. I strained, trying to see where they took Celeste. She screamed and pleaded with Nootau. Why did she need his forgiveness?
Two escorts grabbed me by the arms. Chepi decided that I was not a threat, just yet. What did she mean by that? Was I to be more powerful than her one day? A smile spread across my face.
The escorts were beautiful sirens, making me appear homely at best. Inteus told me that I was only returning because the keeper of C I N loved me. Did he mean Alex? What did C I N stand for? Inteus grinned. I nodded, understanding fully. They were the founding fathers of the guardians, the law makers of our kind. C was for Chepi, I was for Inteus and N, Nootau. I asked if there were other guardians. Chepi said yes and Inteus said no. Who was I to believe?
Many years ago, Alex bought my old school. Did C I N move below the school then? Or, were they always down there? I wanted to ask C I N but my voice refused to work.
Alex’s love saved my life. Celeste wasn’t so fortunate. Nootau took her away, her screams echoing inside my ears. They disappeared from sight.
The girls smiled, telling me they were Celeste’s friends and newly trained groupies. They wouldn’t explain what a groupie was. Power flowed freely through them. But they did not try to use it on me whenever I struggled against them. Self-control was their power.
Wind tunnels spun around us. Chepi waved, giggling, curtsying while the groupies and I rose off the ground. Our hair spun in the wind. I couldn’t help wondering where they were sending us.
Lightning crackled. Right before the thunder grabbed us, Celeste was tossed forward, smacking into the groupies. Tears stained her cheeks and she refused to look at me. Shame, she said, had befallen her for the final ti
me.
We were carried by the thunder down several passages. Our bodies landed in a patch of dirt. We were in Saugus. Several children stood, holding Boston terrier puppies. We each took one. Mine nuzzled into my neck. I loved him immediately. He’s with me now, watching as I write this journal entry.
March 8, 1895
Something strange is happening to my new pet, Banjo. Celeste and the groupies brought home puppies of their own, but only my dog survived. The dogs slept together on a quilt Celeste made. In the morning, only Banjo awoke. Yesterday, the chickens in the coop died and last week, Banjo growled at me when I tried to pick him up. He won’t let anyone touch him. What’s happened to him?
May 26, 1895
I have learned the most valuable secret of all. All transformations are linked to our desires. When I decided to keep my loving dog forever, I was thinking of the epochalites. My desire to have such power, attached itself to Banjo. Now, I just have to figure out how I did it.
LISA—
Today, back in prison…
I slapped the journal shut. My head spun. C I N wasn’t a boarding school at all. It represented those who ruled over us. If they were the real leaders, what was Dr. John? Had he really started a resistance that long ago? Was a war taking place under my very eyes? I’d fallen into the hands of the enemy. Why hadn’t Alex told me he was the keeper of the Guardians? How many of them were there?
Escape was vital.
Tears spilled down my cheeks. Alex loved Amie. That was the only reason the guardians let her live. Why was he with me instead? What happened to her? Nootau called her a traitor, why?
The thought that there was an entire community of others like me right below my very feet scared me. I knew very little about myself and the ones in my life that claimed to love me. What was my purpose in all this? Everything Alex did seemed to have a logical explanation. Was there one for his changing me?
Pig’s real name was Banjo. I liked Pig better. Somehow he knew his touch killed. I had a newfound respect for the little guy. He never wished to kill anyone and so, for a dog to refuse love just so others could stay alive, moved me.
“Was that extremely painful?” The Native asked. She shifted her shackles, clanging them.
“What did you say, ma’am?”
The Native’s lip trembled. “Call me by my real name.”
“What is your name?”
She leaned forward, her eyes fierce.
“Well, tell me.”
“You already know, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your powers supersede mine so quickly.”
“What’s your name?”
“Focus, child.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. You already feel Alex’s thoughts. Feel mine. You’re the new beginning. I need you to learn as fast as possible before it’s too late and you shatter.”
“I can’t read anyone’s thoughts but his. You’re wrong, Anna. I have to touch someone anyways in order to know.”
She smiled. “Are you sure about that?”
I shook my head in disbelief. Had I called her by the proper name? How’d I do that? My heart pounded. What was going on?
“You are the new beginning. You’re Oneida!”
Francisco knelt, his shackles chipping the stone floor. “I will do whatever it takes to free you,” he said. “I am a guardian from the old beginning. Our tribe protects the Oneida.”
“What is an Oneida and why are you calling me the new beginning?”
“Oneida is a word in the mother tongue Algonquin and it means the ‘one searched for’. We’ve waited a long time for you. Alex and Ally were supposed to save our world but fell to the darkness.”
“Lisa.” Anna smiled. “There can only be one beginning at a time.”
“So what are you saying?” I trembled, dropping the journal. The tattered book fell, tumbling back into the hole. “Am I killing you? I’m causing those stones on your body?”
Anna didn’t speak. She closed her eyes, singing a song in her native tongue. She raised her arms in a circle creating what looked to be an invisible sun.
“Answer me!” I cried. The last thing I wanted to do was be the cause of someone’s death. “What are you saying? Am I killing you?”
“You are not killing me.”
A horrific thought overwhelmed me. “Are you killing me?”
“I can.”
“Are you going to?”
Anna said nothing.
“Just tell me the truth. I’m stuck in a cell with you. You owe me the truth.”
“Am I going to kill you?” Anna repeated. “Here, I am the beginning and you are the new beginning. There’ve been many of you. Your only safety is to link with two or four others, making me the only beginning. Your powers will wane and I’ll be strong enough to escape this prison. Francisco is from the last beginning. He is one of four guardians, sworn to protect the fulgurites.”
“What’s a fulgurite? Anna, I’m confused. You told me to never link with anyone.” I snapped, jerking against the chains. I wanted to punch her in the face. “Who or what are you? Are you a fulgurite? Maybe this psychotic behavior is the reason you’re trapped down here. Did you ever think about that? Amie said you and Dr. John were attached at the hip. How do I know you’re not now? Are you his spy?”
“I don’t want you to link with anyone,” Anna said. “You’re to be the new beginning. You hold the power of the fulgurites.”
“And you don’t?”
Anna frowned. “I am the negative and you are the positive. You’re the Alpha and I am the Omega. You’re the beginning and I am the end. You’re the fulgurite and I am the epochalite.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Did you ever notice how everyone’s eyes, skin and hair lighten more and more as they age or don’t age?”
“Ally used to have red hair and it’s blonde now.”
“I give them longevity but, I also take it away to feed myself. Dr. John figured this out and has used me to keep himself unchanged growing ever more powerful and weakening the others more and more. Many epochalites were not created but an outcome of my own doing. I didn’t mean to be this way. You’re the Oneida, the new beginning, with a positive charge. You’re the one I’ve searched for to save my village, to save my family, to save your family.”
“What must I do? How did I get this positive charge?”
Anna closed her eyes. “I gave the remaining fulgurite power I had to Alex and Ally. They in turn, gave it to you. They were supposed to find the Oneida many moons ago.”
“What happened?” I asked. “Why didn’t they?”
“Ally has a secret.” Anna shook her head. “Her past nearly ruined everything.”
“What’s her secret?”
“I’ll never betray my friend,” Anna said, turning her back to me. “I’m tired. Leave me alone, please.”
“What about Alex? Why didn’t he help you?”
“He fell in love with a traitor,” Francisco said. “He struck her instead of an Oneida. This weakened him. He, then, didn’t want her to die so he forced Ally to create a link for Amie. Alex and Ally were no longer powerful enough; not full blooded fulgurites anymore. Their hair lightened, their eyes, and anyone connected to them, began fading and transforming into an epochalite.”
“Alex thought Amie could be our new beginning.” Anna sighed. “Forgive me, Lisa. I am very sad; he gave away our only hope of survival to a harlot.”
“Are you going to kill me, Anna? If only one of us can live, why would you want me to not link with others?”
“I need you to save my family.” Her voice was desperate. “One of us will die in the end. I don’t know who. But, eventually, only one of us shall remain.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
She wouldn’t face me. “If you wish to link and save yourself, I understand. It’s wrong of me to not tell you what could become of
you if you complete transformation before linking.”
“Will I really die?”
“See my arm?”
Shimmering dots, now the size of quarters, covered her arms. “Someone will die. And, eventually, all of us will, the warehouse kids first, the epochalites, then the team, the guardians and then, the leaders.”
“Who is like us?”
“We are the only beginnings. But our creators suffer with us; Francisco, Chepi, Inteus, and Nootau; the ones who created me and Alex and Ally; the ones who created you.”
“How come four created you?”
“Two were of the epochalite line and two the fulgurite line. Chepi and Francisco were from the fulgurite nation; Nootau and Inteus were the epochalites. They wanted to create peace in the land by fusing us altogether. But it’s only caused us serious harm turning the epochalites into hideous beasts and darkening the hearts of the fulgurites until there’s only three fulgurites left.”
“Alex and Ally are in trouble, aren’t they? Is that why I don’t long for Alex anymore?”
“You’ve obviously wished away the yearning you have for him. But no matter what you wish, one thing will never change.”
The C I N Series Bundled Page 26