Warden Fall

by Jennifer M. Eaton

  But-but, she’d spilled that drink, and it was definitely a glass of water when he passed it to her.

  “What the Hell is going on?”

  Darius’s gaze locked with hers, and the essence of something foreign seeped through her mind. She fought against the invading presence until her resolve snapped, and against her better judgment, she allowed the tenseness to ease from her muscles.

  Darius smiled. “Enjoy that little splash of relaxation. It’s probably the last time I’ll be able to do that for you.”

  “What do you mean? What’s going on?”

  “I’ll try to explain as it was explained to me.” He leaned back and folded his hands across his chest. “You are adopted, are you not?”

  Maya shifted in her chair. Her hands grew cold. “Yes.”

  “We all were. Wardens, for the most part, don’t raise their own young. Too many complications.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You are special, Maya. You have gifts no other child here has. You can make pretty much anything happen, just by wanting it.”

  Her stomach plummeted. That morning, she’d wished she didn’t have to wear glasses, and her eyes instantly focused. She wanted eggs, and they suddenly appeared.

  It had to be coincidence. Stuff like that just wasn’t possible. “You’re crazy.”

  “Am I?”

  A bird cawed over her head, and Maya jumped from her seat. Water rose and fell gently around her and all the way to the horizon on every side. She, Darius, the desk, and two chairs stood alone amongst the rolling waves of the ocean.

  She snapped her jaw shut and turned to him. “I didn’t do this. I wasn’t thinking about the water!”

  “No. This one I did. I’ve always enjoyed the sounds of the ocean.”

  “Well, I don’t. Take me back!”

  He smiled. “If you want to go home, just desire it strongly.”

  Maya gritted her teeth as the essence of Darius pushed against her need to negate everything he said while forcing her to accept and understand.

  But that wasn’t who she was. If he really was some kind of super-power-dude, he would have known that.

  Maya was nobody: the girl in the back of the class, the one no one spoke to, the one no one noticed. She wasn’t special. She was someone who sat and watched special people do all their special things. Nothing ever happened because of Maya. Ever. She couldn’t have powers.

  Her disbelief washed away as she closed her eyes. The gentle sounds of the lapping water disappeared, and she found herself back in the Vice Principal’s office. Maya’s inner fear continued to struggle with Darius’s calm until he overpowered her once more, forcing serenity and understanding to wipe away her unease.

  Maya’s eyes fixed on a stain mottling the carpet at her feet. She wished it gone, and it slowly faded away. The rational side of her brain laughed, still unable to process what she’d seen.

  Her gaze traversed the shelves, through the leaves of the plants on the windowsill, and across the pictures on the walls: anywhere but the other side of the desk, and this strange man with strange ideas and strange… well, everything.

  What this guy suggested was ridiculous. Magical powers would definitely explain her odd day, but she was too old for fairy tales. But if not magic, what, then?

  The silence lingered until Darius tapped a pen on the edge of the ink blotter. “I’m sure you have questions.”

  Maya shuddered. Questions? Of course she had questions. She wasn’t an idiot. Then again, only an idiot would believe anything this man said. But they’d just been out in the middle of the ocean. The ocean! This wasn’t possible. None of it.

  Well, it wasn’t possible for a normal person. Her stomach clenched. “What am I?”

  “Like I said, you are a warden.”

  “But what does that mean? Am I from another planet?”

  Darius puffed out a laugh. “I certainly don’t think so. I personally don’t feel like an alien.”

  “Don’t you know what we are?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve asked many of our kind, and the only answer that I’ve received is that we’re wardens. I don’t think anyone knows where we originally came from. All we know is the here and now.”

  “So, there’s a lot of us?”

  “A reasonable amount, although more than one warden in any one given area is quite uncommon.”

  “Why? Don’t we like each other?”

  A smile crossed his lips. “Of course we do. We are like family, but we keep our distance so as not to interfere with each other’s callings.”

  Maya sat back. A creeping unease splintered and shimmied free of the calm Darius had imposed on her. “Callings?”

  He nodded. “Great gifts do not come without a price. We are each called to mediate events of widespread proportions. I am guessing that one of your events is upon us. That is why you’ve been called at such a young age.”

  “What do you mean an ‘event is upon us’?”

  Darius studied his fingernails. “All events that affect the world in some great way are predetermined to happen. What is not predetermined is the outcome.”

  “I still don’t understand what this has to do with me.”

  “Please listen carefully. All events of divine magnitude happen within the realm of a warden.”

  “Realm?”

  “Consider it the immediate vicinity. You will be propelled toward an event by nature and everyday happenstance. You will not know when you are propelled, or where your event will happen, or even when, but by design, you will be there when it transpires.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Something is about to happen, Maya. Something with resounding effects to the world. You will have to make a decision. You must decide the outcome.”

  Maya pulled her feet up onto her chair and hugged her knees to her chest. “Why me? You’re here. Why can’t you just do it?”

  Darius shook his head. “I cannot interfere in your realm. This is your task. Your decision.”

  “But if I don’t know what will happen, how can I be ready? How will I know what to do?”

  “For each of us, it is different. Sometimes choices that will benefit one will cause the suffering of another. These are the hard decisions all wardens are called to make.”

  She pushed her feet to the floor and stood. “This is crazy. I can’t even figure out how to get a date, and you want me to save the world?”

  “Your call will not be to save the whole world, just your little part of it.”

  The annoying clang of the artificial bell clamored through the speaker system, and Darius stood. “I do believe you have classes to get back to. There’s a history test today, is there not?”

  Maya turned to check the time on the clock over the door. She’d missed two whole blocks of classes. “How am I…?” Her voice fell flat. Darius had disappeared. “Great.”

  Unable to continue her argument, she stepped into the empty main office. The secretary’s screen saver flashed school-closing dates across her screen. With a sigh, Maya slipped into the hall and made her way toward History.

  Turning the corner, she forced herself to stop short to avoid plowing into Tommy Moore’s wide frame. The dark-blue charging stallion mascot stared at her from the back of his football jacket.

  “I’m serious, dude. She’s dead.” One of his teammates beamed with the bad news. “Everyone’s talking about it.”

  “No skin off my butt,” Tommy said. “Hey, did you see Janice’s shirt today? You could see right through the front. It was, like, awesome.”

  Maya scooted around them. Why sports teams never worried about getting to class on time was beyond her.

  Kelli passed on her right, huddled in her gossiping gaggle of cheerleaders.

  “I can’t believe Old Lady Harris is dead,” one said.

  Maya stopped abruptly, her heart in her chest.

  “I know.” Kelli ran h
er fingers through her long blonde curls. “And I can’t believe that cute guy got her job. I may just have to start taking the bus more often.”

  The gaggle chuckled as they passed around the corner. Maya stood frozen, barely able to react as students making their way to the classrooms banged past her.

  A swirl of guilt rose from her gut. Had she done this? She had wished Mr. Daytona Beach could be her bus driver. Had she killed Mrs. Harris accidentally by wishing for something else?

  Chapter Two

  The sound of the bell jolted her to jump through the door. A wavy fog consumed her as she slipped into her seat. She heard the teacher giving direction, and she saw the test paper slide in front of her, but she couldn’t find the desire to care. How could she have done something so horrible? Did Mrs. Harris have a husband? Kids? Were others suffering because of a stray thought she couldn’t control?

  She held her temples and pulled her long brown hair over her face to hide tears on the verge of falling. Her mind swirled in a chaotic procession of senseless thoughts. If this session could only end so she could…

  The bell rang, and her classmates cried out in a rally of groans as they stood and handed their tests to the teacher. Her own examination sheet mocked her with its emptiness. Maya hadn’t even written her name on it.

  “Holy crap,” she whispered. “I can’t fail this test. I need to…” She froze as her handwriting slowly appeared on the page, fading in reverse.

  “Maya?” The teacher peeked over her glasses. “Are you going to hand that in or just stare at it?”

  Blinking away her shock, Maya nodded and offered the woman the paper. Still lost in a fog, she gathered her books and slumped from the classroom.

  Magically appearing words, class times shortened, Egypt on the other side of the door!

  She couldn’t live like this. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t natural. She could think anything, any simple random thought and boom! It would happen.

  God, had she really killed Mrs. Harris?

  Doing her best not to form a coherent thought, she shoved her books in her locker and shuffled to the cafeteria. She wondered what the lunch ladies had in store for them today. She resisted the urge to wish for crab legs or something else insane as she stepped onto the food line, although having something other than glorified fast food would be nice for a change. She grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich, applesauce, and a carton of two-percent milk, repeating over and over in her mind that these items were exactly what she wanted.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she handed the smiling lunch lady her meal card. The machine beeped when she swiped it.

  “Oh, it looks like you’re out of money on your account.”

  Maya gritted her teeth. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Heat flooded her cheeks as the people behind her began to laugh. “My mom said she would reload it last night.”

  “Loser.” Tommy Moore’s voice shot a wave of tension through her jaw. Out of everyone in the school that could be behind her, it had to be the stupid, arrogant quarterback. It would be nice if his card ran out someday to give him a taste of what it was like.

  “Let me try again.” The lunch lady slid the card through, and a pleasant beep sounded from the machine. “Yep, looks like you’re right. Maybe your mom was loading at the same time we swiped.”

  Maya smiled. Or not. She cast an evil stare at Mr. Holier-Than-Thou behind her and took her tray to an empty table. The room bustled with students taking their seats, but she didn’t see any of her friends yet.

  Tommy’s agitated voice rolled above the calamity around her. “I had plenty of money on there yesterday. Swipe the damn thing again!”

  Maya snickered. Oops.

  Across the cafeteria, Eric Brighton popped a tater tot through his beautiful lips and laughed. He sat with the cheerleaders and football players as usual. Being the Divisional Cross Country and Sprinting Champion gave him that honor. The remainder of the track team sat at the smaller tables with the rest of the pariahs.

  Maya eased into her chair and enjoyed the way the gentle creases accentuated Eric’s face as he smiled. Even from across the room, his presence sent a flutter of butterflies into her stomach.

  Kelli pushed between Eric and the kid sitting next to him, and Eric’s smile faded to a thin, harsh line. She leaned close, batting her eyelashes. The cheerleader’s presence sucked the frivolity from the group, and all conversation stopped. Eric spoke a few words to her, and she straightened, her eyes wide. She shook her head as if denying something, and the two appeared to argue. Kelli slammed her hand on the table, rose, and stomped from the cafeteria.

  Eric’s gaze trailed to her fleeing form before lowering. His face fell expressionless as the table reanimated around him.

  Maya’s heart reached out to Eric. He deserved better than that crowd, and Kelli was the worst of the worst, only gaining friends because of being the pretty head cheerleader. The only reason she was probably interested in Eric was what he looked like. If Tommy Moore wasn’t the gargoyle that he was, she’d probably go for him just for his status as quarterback, but Eric gave her the best of both worlds: great looks and a sports title. Everything a good little cheerleader dreamed of. The track star’s dark lashes beat a few times before he looked up.

  Maya sucked in a breath as their gazes met. Oh no! Her fluttering heart urged her to run, but she couldn’t break their stare.

  A smile crossed his lips, and her stomach plummeted. He’d never even glanced her way in the lunch room. Today should be no different. She broke his gaze.

  As much as she wanted Eric, she didn’t want him because of some kind of freaky spell. She stood, pushed back her tray, and fled the cafeteria from the rear door.

  “Maya?” Eric’s voice echoed from behind her.

  She quickened her pace toward the safety of the lavatory. As she reached for the door, Eric grabbed the doorframe. The soft deep blue material of his athletic jacket barred her path.

  She should have known better than trying to outrun a sprinting champion.

  “Didn’t you hear me calling you?” Eric asked.

  “Oh, ah, no. I was heading to the bathroom.”

  He lowered his arm. “I wanted to ask you something this morning, but Kelli, you know.”

  Sucked the lips right off his face. Yeah, she saw. Everybody saw.

  He shrugged. “This is kind of embarrassing, but I was wondering of you could help me with trig.”

  Maya narrowed her eyes. “You want help with math?”

  “Yeah. We’ve got that test next week, and you always seem to know what she’s talking about in class.” His hands slipped into the pockets of his blue jeans. “I’ve been fudging through, but I really need a decent grade.”

  She sucked in her lips. It was a little too convenient that the track star suddenly worried about his grades the day she gained magical powers.

  Her lips prepared to say no as her mind stacked up the possibilities. She knew his interest in her wasn’t real, but did that matter? So what if he was bewitched? What did she care? It couldn’t hurt to spend a little time with the cutest guy in school. And hey, if he learned some trigonometry while they were at it, then everyone wins!

  Maya released a brilliant smile. “Sure, I’ll be happy to help.”

  Relief washed over his face. “Great. Is today after school okay? I want to get started, and tomorrow night is the big game.”

  “Is it?” Her eyes trailed up to the giant “Timber Creek Chargers: Divisional Champions” banner hanging over their heads. The pep squad had been decorating the hallways to celebrate their expected win for two weeks now.

  Eric hunched. “Yeah, you’re going, aren’t you?”

  “Me? Oh, I hadn’t really thought about it.”

  “You should come. Everyone will be there.”

  “Sports just aren’t my thing. I never really know what’s going on.”

  Eric licked his lips, sending a tingly twitch through Maya’s skin
. “Well, you could go with me, and I can explain it to you.”

  Her rippling skin tied itself in a knot. “You-you want to go with me?”

  “Yeah, I thought it would be fun to, you know, hang out.”

  Her stomach twisted within, but she didn’t earn this date. This wasn’t real, just some freaky amalgamation of what she wanted, but knew she could never have. “You don’t have to do that,” she decided. “I’ll still help you with trig.”

  His snort rattled the hallway, and Eric tried to cover it with a cough. “That’s not what I was trying to do. I wanted to, you know, spend some more time with you other than locker chat.”

  “Locker chat?”

  His smile dazzled. “Yeah, the three minutes before and after school when we bump into each other trying to get to our stuff.” He shrugged. “It’s actually usually my favorite part of the day.”

  Eric’s words coated her like chocolate frosting on a doughnut. She languished in his sweetness until one of the football players from his table stuck his head out of the cafeteria door and smiled at them. Her stomach plummeted, and her cheeks heated.

  She’d been set up. They’d put him up to this.

  Eric didn’t seem to notice his friend walking toward them. “So, what do you say?” he asked.

  Panic battered Maya. Whatever the joke was, she didn’t want to be part of it. “Well, listen, I’ll meet you by our lockers after school. I really gotta go to the bathroom.”

  Maya slipped through the doors with a sigh of relief. Grabbing the sink, she gritted her teeth and fought the tension building inside her. How could she be so dumb? Why would Eric want her when he had Kelli?

  The spotty mirror accentuated the pits and grooves in her face. A skilled twist to her bangs shifted them across her forehead to hide the… She leaned closer, rubbing away the spots on the mirror with the heel of her hand. The zits on her face had disappeared, leaving peachy flawless skin behind. Three seconds of shock melted into a self-assured smile.

  She straightened, enjoying her reflection for the first time in her life. “I can definitely get used to this.”

  Chapter Three