by Navi' Robins
“But we are human.”
“No Aiden, that is the wrong way of thinking. We are more than human. Yes, we have human blood flowing through our veins but we are far from human. Are we above them? No, but we aren’t human. Most Shadows and Baraqu fancy themselves superior and that’s just stupid because all witches are human and they can bind us whenever they want and after we can’t use our powers we are easy to kill. The order of the witches has killed more of our kind than any of us have.
So we have a truce with the witches but that truce is coming to an end and the witches are tired of being the lapdogs of the Shadows and hunted by the Baraqu. They hate both our sides equally and these new breeds of witches aren’t rolling over any longer.
“They see what our kind has done to this planet. Shadows have infiltrated every fiber of human existence, corrupting governments and corporations to perpetuate pain and suffering on this planet; so that they can get their fix of power. The problem is something else is going on and the Shadows are too blind with drug-like power to notice. Alal is up to something and the witches aren’t telling what it is, but they feel like it’s time for them to lock this thing down and fight for mankind’s existence.”
“So how can your family just sit by and stay out of this fight if they know what’s going on?”
Jasmine’s face saddened and she answered, “Because of me. They love me too much to have me serve Alal; so as much as they want to help, they stay out of it. My brothers sometimes despise me because of it but I know they love me. They just wish they could do something that mattered that could turn the tide; because the Baraqu are too weak to actually make any real change. Well until now, because a warrior is here and you are strong enough to fight. But I take it you are not willing either.”
I explained to her about my experiences in Spain but conveniently kept Jaffrey out of the picture.
“I heard about that. Every Shadow has heard about that fight in Spain. ‘The Baraqu warrior that can’t be bound by the witches.’ The witches also have taken notice of you and they are watching you closely. They fear you because you can’t be controlled. I don’t even know how that is possible. Do you?”
“No, I don’t but I hope one day I can find out. They have nothing to fear. I am not joining the fight; I just want to be left alone.”
“I understand my love, but it’s never that simple these days.”
We stayed under the tree talking for hours. We talked about my dad and how much I missed him and she told me the stories about him. My dad was a badass, deep in the fight against the Shadows and his ability to lead and inspire people was a unique gift that proved to be a powerful tool in battle. Most of the time the difference between victory and defeat is the belief in victory. My father’s Baraqu ability was that he could inspire people to believe in themselves and victory. It caused people to fight harder and smarter and he never lost a battle—until he found himself face to face with an even more powerful adversary.
His body was never found but under this tree Jasmine gave me all the details about him and the events that led up to his death. She said that they knew he was coming and suggested he was betrayed by one of his own. I made a mental note that if I ever met the person responsible for his betrayal I would make sure they didn’t see another sunrise again. She also revealed to me who actually killed the ref and Steve. Jason had murdered both of them and with his six followers posing as federal agents, their goal was to make me feel like I was responsible and drive myself crazy with guilt. They wanted to destroy our family through the media and me being accused of murder. Eventually after I’d reached the pinnacle of success during my high school football career they were going to release evidence suggesting I was the serial killer in Deerfield. They were hoping the news coverage would make Manny come out of hiding and then they would murder him. With Manny out of the picture and me behind bars or worse they could finish my mom and Sara off easily; completely wiping our family off the face of the earth. It was a diabolical scheme that would’ve destroyed us if Jasmine hadn’t risked her life by awakening Sarah’s ability to expose Jason and give us a fighting chance. Jasmine risked her life for us and until that day I hadn’t realized how much she sacrificed.
We sat under the tree so long we forgot to check our cell phones and when I did I had over seven missed calls and messages. They were all from my mom pleading me to come home as soon as possible. I teleported us back to the school parking lot and drove Jasmine home. I wanted to come in with her but she advised I wait till she told them everything and then they would meet me. It made sense so I decided to go home and spill the beans as well. I was tired of hiding my love for this girl. I just wanted to feel free to love her anywhere. She climbed on my lap and gave me the most passionate kiss she’d ever given me, hugged me, and walked into her house. I smiled while reminiscing about the time I got shot at trying to escape their house the night of my birthday party. Soon I hoped I would be invited inside without being run out at gunpoint. It was a farfetched dream but I was willing to believe in it. Jasmine was worth it.
Driving home, I reflected on everything that lead me to this point in my life and wondered how things would be going forward. From a regular introvert to a suspected serial killer to a Baraqu warrior and now the boyfriend of the second-most powerful Shadow on this planet. All in less than a year. Amazing how life can change and how drastic that change can be. But what is more incredible is how we can adapt and manage to survive and find happiness in the worst places. Find love where there once was hate. Find peace in a time of war. I found love right when I was about to take a girl’s life on prom night. If I could find love in such a dark place, then others can do a lot better.
When I got home there were more cars out front than usual. My mom’s car and four rental cars. I wondered who was here but I knew there wasn’t much danger because Sarah would have handled it. Jasmine had been helping her strengthen her ability and she’d gotten very powerful. Sarah could handle herself now and I had all the confidence in her that any threat that came to our door she could neutralize. I opened the front door to a living room full of people. Some I recognized from the night at the hospital and some I had never seen before. It seemed Manny and his team were here, but why?
Manny came out from the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee accompanied by a very beautiful woman dressed in an all-black special forces suit.
“Hey, Manny, what are you doing here?”
“Have a seat Aiden, we have something to discuss.”
At that moment I became afraid that they had found out about Jasmine and were here to question me about her. I was planning on coming home to tell my mom about Jasmine, but I wasn’t going to do it now in a room full of strangers. I didn’t know what they would do or think. Plus, having a kid brother in love with a Shadow would seriously compromise his team’s confidence in Manny and after hearing about my dad being betrayed I didn’t want to take any chances with Manny’s life. He was already a hothead. I slowly sat down looking around the room at everyone. My mom and Sarah were there with worried looks on their faces.
Oh no, they must know about Jasmine.
I wanted to get my side of the story out before anything else happened so I began to talk but Manny cut me off midsentence.
“Aiden listen, I don’t know what you are trying to say but whatever personal bullshit you have going on doesn’t concern me right now. What concerns me is what we need from you.”
“What is that?”
“My team and I are going on an important mission to the Middle East and we need your help.”
“Why would I go to the Middle East? I made it clear before that I don’t want any part of this war you guys are fighting.”
“Yeah, I heard about that but you are going to want to go on this mission.”
“Why is that? What could possibly change my mind that I would be willing to go to the most war-torn part of the planet with you to fight a war I want no part of?”
“Because it’s not just about t
his war, this is about family.”
“Manny, my family is all here besides Granny and Grandpa. Did they move to the Middle East or something? I don’t think so. So who is over there that will make me want to leave with you?”
“Aiden, we found Dad, he’s in the Middle East and he’s alive…”
GO TO
NAVIROBINS.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING RELEASES!