A few of the other kids gave us smiles and nods, and the woman gestured to two empty seats among the group. “Go on, take a chair. We’ve got business to get down to.” She lifted the box from her lap and continued, “My name is Rowena Holst, and I’m your Sector Leader. Welcome to the Awakener Group 3902B!” The other kids clapped, and Rena and I joined in.
“Now, a few of you,” and she gave a small smile towards us, “are new to this. That’s okay. It’s what I’m here for. As you all should know by now, you are Awakeners, part of a small group of gifted people here on Turgor. As an Awakener, you breathe life into things, creatures, and in rare cases, people. You help make Turgor what it is. Don’t ever think that you’re not important.” Rowena raised the box slightly higher. “The purpose of this group, and the many identical to this, is to help you become as powerful as you’re able to be. There is a war, ladies and gents, and when the time comes, you might find yourself on the battlefield. Until then, you will go on various assignments to hone your skills, meet potential allies, and discover new things about yourself. The box that I hold in my hands contains Evrodes. Does anyone here know what those are?”
A girl who was the color of dark chocolate with thick cornrows in her hair and a small gap between her two front teeth raised her hand. “They were invented by local wizard Rod Jurgensen in 1872.”
“Very good,” Rowena said, clearly impressed. “What do they do?”
“They’re like necklaces...necklaces that contain pieces of stones found on planet Nerodia. These stones are used for sensing a strong emotion or being, such as evil, and are worn by wizards to help fend off those beings.”
“Very good!” Rowena said again, giving the girl a big smile.
I looked at Rena and rolled my eyes.
Rena giggled as Rowena continued, “Evrodes also make good pets.”
The group chuckled, and Rowena opened the box. We all leaned on the edges of our chairs to get a better look, but nothing extraordinary happened. Inside the box were necklaces placed neatly beside each other, and each had a small gray stone hanging daintily at the center.
“Now,” Rowena began, “each of you will line up in a single file line and come grab an Evrode. After that we will begin going over your first assignments.”
We did as told, and after about an hour each of us was holding a small stone between our fingertips. I looked around and noticed everyone else was watching theirs with slight disappointment when, suddenly, mine shivered. Jumping a bit, I looked down and saw that mine was no longer a round, gray pebble, but was now a flat, smooth stone. It was a beautiful amber color. In the center, a small opening had formed, and within that opening a smoky substance appeared, moving as if imitating clouds on a windy day.
“Wow,” came a voice by my side. Rena looked at hers, which had chosen the shape of an orange rectangle and said, “Well, at least it isn’t shaped like a glob, like that poor guy over there.”
I nodded and stared back down at my Evrode. It was so pretty. My attention was broken by Rowena, who had been watching us silently from the front of the room.
“Okay, people,” she smiled, “let’s get moving to—”
“Ouch!” a voice cried from across the room. We all jumped and turned to look at a boy with a high top fade, who looked extremely puzzled. “WHY’D YOU SQUEEZE ME LIKE THAT?”
“It can talk!” the girl with the cornrows shouted.
“Well, of course we can talk,” hers said, snorting. She had sort of a pretentious air about her. “What do you think we do, just sit around and glow, waiting for action? We have the need to communicate just like you.”
“Although,” began Rena’s, and Rena looked like she was about to bolt from her chair. “We have never talked as much as young Awakeners do.”
“True,” my Evrode, who sounded like a young woman from one of the ‘hoods’ in Harlem, New York chipped in, “but I think it’s a teenage thing, not an Evrode thing. My great grandfather used to be an assistant to a Senior Creator, and he said that man only spoke when he had to eat, go to the bathroom, or get out of harm’s way.” The rest of the Evrodes murmured in agreement, and mine continued to talk. “Oh, look everyone. It’s Rowena!”
“Hi, Rowena!” all of the Evrodes shouted, pleased to have discovered her. Rowena, however, didn’t look too surprised.
“Hey, guys,” she grinned. Her eyes twinkled. “I’m really glad you decided to go ahead and speak up. I was beginning to wonder if I had received the right box.”
“You know you always get the right box,” grumbled the voice that had shouted earlier. Rowena laughed, looked around at our stunned faces, and laughed harder.
“Okay, okay,” she snorted, holding her hands up as if she was surrendering. “Let me explain. Evrodes make great pets—”
“Pets?” they shouted in unison.
“Um, excuse me, assistants because they represent you in more ways than one. They love to talk, and they make great companions on trips.”
I felt as though my Evrode was watching me.
“I like your hair,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said, and grinned. I had braided my hair in zigzags going straight back. This was too cool.
“Everyone introduce yourself to your Evrode, and then we’ll go around the group and introduce one another out loud,” Rowena shouted over us, as we were already eagerly conversing with our new friends.
“What’s your name?” I ventured.
“Yolonda,” she replied. “What’s yours?”
“Kathleena, but everyone calls me Kay.”
“Cool,” she said, sounding hip. We quieted down as Rowena stood at the front of the group again.
“All right, guys,” she said, “let’s hear those names. Let’s start with you, the one whose Evrode began all of this chatter.”
The boy with the high top fade stood up, nervously, and said, “My name’s Antonio Mensen, and—”
“My name’s Steven,” his Evrode finished for him. Antonio gave Steven an unsure look before taking his seat again. We went around the circle, and when it got to my name everyone started whispering. Rena looked uncomfortable. I finished and sat down, hoping to ask Rena what the fuss was about. When we were finished, Rowena clapped.
“Wonderful,” she said. “Now then, let’s see. Oh yeah, the assignments.” She waited for everyone to settle down and began again. “Like I said earlier, these assignments are handed out by the Senior Counsel. They are created by those powers that are higher than the Counsel themselves and become increasingly difficult as your skills grow. Because we are in a war, we must all help out. These assignments help the Counsel keep a watchful eye on the young Awakeners as you learn. You must always take these assignments very, very seriously. We have lost many Awakeners who haven’t heeded warnings in the past. Make no mistake. You can die on these missions. Some of you, those who are not paying attention right now, will not make it back as they become difficult. Take a good look around you, young people. The person sitting beside you may have to save your life one day.”
She paused to let her words sink in. “Now, as I call your names I want you to open your DiGis. Inside will be the assignment details. This will be the only time that I actually tell you to look inside your DiGi. From now on, you will be responsible for consulting them to see what your assignments will be. Carrie Smith, Tabitha Rumhill, and Jonathan Johnson, open your DiGis.” The three did as told, and the girl with hazel eyes that had introduced herself as Carrie looked up in surprise. “It says that my partners are these two.”
“How long have you know them?” Rowena asked.
Carrie shrugged. “Practically all my life. We’re neighbors.”
“Exactly. The Counsel knows everything about you, including relationships. They tend to pair together people who have had previous interaction with each other. For the most part, you’ll be doing the majority of your assignments with each other. There’s strength in numbers, you know.” Carrie nodded in agreement and began discussing her ass
ignment with Tabitha and Jonathan.
“Right,” Rowena started again, “Jamie Jackson, Henry Chant, and Nickolas Terrag, open your DiGis. Keyana Washington and Mary Beth O’Brien, open your DiGis.” She continued down the list until she reached Rena and me.
“Looks like Kathleena McLaughlin and Rena Hall will be partners,” she said smiling. “Okay girls, open your DiGis.”
We did, and at once, the page began to fill in it until it read:
Assignment #1
Location: Turgor, Giza Graveyard
Details: Use beginner Awakener skills to Awaken new Death Walker.
“I’m sorry,” Rena said, slowly, looking up at me with wide eyes, “but did the word graveyard just enter the page?” I nodded mutely. “Do you know anything about Giza?” I shook my head, and she took a deep breath. “Giza Graveyard is located on the small tip of Giza, across Yuron Lake. Giza is the city of Death Walkers, even though there really isn’t a rule for them to live there. And handful of them live here, in Tormey and Brozek. Anyway, the Graveyard is the resting place of soon-to-be Death Walkers. It’s our first assignment to Awaken a dead person!”
I gulped.
“Well,” came a voice from behind me, “sucks to be you.”
Rena and I turned at the same time to face the girl with cornrows whose name turned out to be Erika Williams. “For a moment, I was starting to be worried.”
“What are you talking about?,” sneered Rena.
“You know what I’m talking about, poriedeo,” Erika hissed, her back straight. “We’ve all heard about Nia and Kathleena McLaughlin. I was starting to wonder if I’d have competition.”
“What have you heard about me?” I asked. I hadn’t done anything of significance since I’d arrived here.
“You mean you don’t know?” Erika asked, slightly surprised. “Well, this is interesting. Maybe you should ask your sister. She does a wonderful job reminding us all how wonderful your family is. But I’m here now. And as an Awakener, I’m going to blow you out of the water.”
My hands began to clench, and I took a step forward when Rowena’s voice came from behind me.
“Everything okay, girls?” she asked, the peppiness in her voice gone.
“Fine, Rowena.” Erika smiled and bounced off to join her two friends, Connie Spears and Jai’breon Wells. Connie was an extremely pale girl with long red hair and dark green eyes, while Jai’breon had caramel colored skin and light brown eyes that matched her skin perfectly and had an eerie effect. I thought she looked ridiculous. Erika was the darkest of the three, with short, curly hair that was pulled into a ponytail. I sighed and looked away. Rowena had wandered over to another group. Rena sighed.
“What’s a poridieo?” I asked her quietly. “Why’d she call you that?”
“Because I am one,” she said, looking down. “My dad’s dead, and my mom was thrown in Caldbeck when I was four. Poridieo is a west Turgorian slur for traitor.”
“I thought you said your mom is an Undine.”
“She was, but when she was thrown in prison, she was stripped of her title. Got caught in the middle of the war, and there was enough KaKonian political sway to land her there.” Rena continued to look down, and I sat back for a moment, realizing that she had lied to me earlier.
“I’m really sorry,” I offered.
Rena shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m tough. I’ve been on my own for twelve years.”
“So where do you live?”
“With different families. It depends on where the orphanage sends me. They’re too full to keep me there. I stayed with the Spelling family last night, the one that lives next to you. Then I received a message from Paul telling me to go with you to the meeting today.”
We sat quietly for a moment, listening to the others talk excitedly about their new assignments. It seemed like we were the only ones that had received one we weren’t so crazy about. I glanced over at Erika, who smirked at me and turned back to laugh with Connie and Jai’breon.
Yolonda cleared her throat, and I jumped. I had forgotten that she was still there. An idea hit me.
“Hey, why don’t you stay with me?”
Rena stared at me for a moment and then shook her head. “I couldn’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“Because,” she said, biting her bottom lip, “that would be...like...intruding or something.”
“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You would not be like an intruder. Think about it. We’re partners. You don’t have a house. I have one to myself, and I need the company. I mean, Dia’s cool, but she’s kind of like my mom...if she was still alive.”
“Your mom’s dead?” Rena said, her eyes widening. “I’m so sorry.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay. Both of my parents died, actually, when I was younger. Nia and I stay with our grandparents.” We fell back into silence for a few seconds before I spoke up again. “You would be doing me a favor by staying with me, Rena. I’ve got a lot to learn, and my sister’s a Creator, so she doesn’t seem to have much time.”
“Yeah, I know she’s a Creator. Everyone knows,” Rena replied. I thought about asking her more about that, but she kept talking. “Look, if I stay with you, I don’t want any special treatment or anything, okay? It’s still your house.” I nodded, and she thought for a moment more before breaking into a grin. “This is going to be fun.”
“Ya got that right,” I added in an exaggerated southern drawl to ease the awkward silence between us. We both giggled and turned our attention back to our Evrodes. Rowena stood at the front of the group again and clapped her hands to get our attention.
“Okay, group, we’re done for today. It’s been fun, but I’ve got a husband and two kids at home who need me. So,” she glanced around to make sure everyone had stopped talking, “let me end this meeting by reminding you to keep up with your DiGi and make sure you check it periodically. I’ll be posting messages in it. Hopefully, everyone swapped information with each other—phone numbers, addresses, that such—but if you lose them, just consult your DiGi. It should have it in there. I’ve been told that there’s a ‘getting to know you’ party down at Tinnel’s tonight, so if you want to come you should. Sherry Tinnel reminded me to tell you that there is no Awakening in the restaurant, so please be respectful. When I’ve heard word that your assignments are done, I’ll schedule another meeting. Till then, toodles.” Rowena dismissed us, and Rena and I headed for the exit.
Redwood Park had embraced night, and now the majestic trees appeared haunted, their once welcoming branches now seeming menacing. Our group stuck together and murmured in low voices as we moved quickly to the opening we had come through, stepping timidly over hidden roots and jumping at the small hoots of owls. Once outside the forest, Rena and I began making our way back towards my house.
“So, did Nia create your house?” she asked. I nodded, and she grinned. “Man, I wish I had a sister that could create things for me.”
I scoffed. “It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be, you know. She can be pretty weird.” We walked briskly through the crowds until we were back at Dia.
Dia opened the door for me, yawning. “How’d it go?”
“Good, Dia, Rena’s going to be staying here with me from now on. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Oh, honey, please! The more the merrier. Now I won’t have to talk to you so much.” I smirked. Rena laughed and plopped down on the couch. “If you don’t mind, I’m going back to sleep.”
“Not at all,” I grumbled. I went into the kitchen and found a box of cereal. “Hey, Rena, you want cereal for dinner?” No answer came from the living room. “Rena?” I put down the cereal and walked back into the room where I found Rena lying peacefully on the couch, fast asleep. “Oh, well, more for me then.” I grabbed a bowl, and as soon as I was done, I fell on the opposite armchair and dozed off as well.
CHAPTER FIVE
I sat at my desk back at home, desperately trying to get through my homework—
from Earth that is. I had already promised that I would do my Turgorian homework with Rena when I went to sleep later on tonight. We were in midsummer back here in Mississippi, and every day the weatherman would get on TV to confirm the day would be a scorcher. The TV was playing faintly downstairs as Grandma watched the news, and Nia, who already finished her homework, was out at the mall with her best friend, Bobbi. Sighing, I pushed aside my math textbook and pulled out the Turgor papers. After staring at them for a few minutes, I shook my head. No, you’ve got to finish this work! I scolded myself. I gave myself a quick mental pep talk and then dove back inside algebra. Later on that evening, I sat outside on the front porch with Nia.
“How was the meeting?” she asked, popping a large wad of chewing gum. The fireflies were out tonight, and they seemed to pulse golden light in time with the crickets, which were also making their presence known. I breathed deeply and smiled. Times like these were nothing short of Heaven.
“Meeting?” I asked, looking at her. As usual, she was fashionably dressed and looking gorgeous. Her face was so serene.
“Turgor.”
“Oh, good, I guess,” I shrugged, looking away. “We’re working on basic spells so we can figure out how to get the Death Walker. Rena keeps accidentally turning her Evrode into a mint. I don’t think she’s very happy with her.”
Nia chuckled. “She’ll get the hang of it.”
“Yeah, I know she will. How about you? What do you do all day?”
“I have an advanced Creator course that I’m in right now,” Nia explained, poking at a passing bug with her big toe. “And once a week I volunteer for the High Counsel. Doing paperwork and stuff.” She looked pleased with herself.
“Why are you doing that?” I asked, confused. “Is that a part of an assignment?”
“Nope,” Nia said, shaking her head. “I want to be part of the Senior Counsel one day, so I’m hoping that volunteering can open up doors for me. It looks good on the resume, you know.”
I shook my head. So Nia was basically an overachiever on any planet.
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