Chosen One

by Katie Holland

  “Ben, I’m here,” she whispered when she got close to him.

  “Alix, I’m on the phone so it doesn’t look like I’m talking to myself. Follow right behind me.”

  That made sense she thought.

  “When we get to the SUV I’m going to open the back and make it look like I’m looking for something. You crawl in the back and we’ll head home.”

  Alix did as instructed. Once she was safely in the vehicle Ben got in and Rick drove off.

  “Stay there for now Alix. We don’t know if they were alone. We don’t want anyone seeing you,” Rick said to her.

  She wasn’t very comfortable but that was secondary to being safe right now. She just hoped that everyone else was safe as well.

  Chapter 6

  It seemed to take forever to get back to Sunset Creek. Rick received a quick phone call but other than that the trip was silent. Finally, Ben said they were home. She dropped her invisibility when he opened the back for her to get out.

  “Is Shay okay?” were the first words out of her mouth when she saw Rick.

  “Yes Alix, she’s fine and will be here soon. The call I got earlier was Kris. He said the trap worked. Shay and Sonya were perfect, and Kris and his team captured the two Grynn.”

  Alix was about to ask more questions when her mom and dad came running out of Ben’s front door. They were hugging her before she could even process what was happening.

  “What are you guys doing here?” she finally asked.

  “Natalie came and picked us up and told us what happened. I was so scared for you.” she said hugging Alix again.

  “I was scared too, mom. I’m really happy you’re here.”

  Before they could even get in the house Shay came driving up. Alix ran over to her and practically pulled her out of the car. Sonya got out of the passenger side.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe,” Alix said hugging Shay. “Tell me everything that happened.”

  Shay started her story as they walked into the house. “So, after you disappeared in the restroom, Sonya came out and sat with us. It was a little strange because she could be your body double. Anyway, when Kris told us to go we ran to the car and I took off like I was on fire. It was kinda fun actually. Sonya was watching for the truck and of course they followed us. A little way down the highway there was a car parked on the one side of the road and an SUV parked on the other. That was the trap. After we passed them they activated it or whatever. The truck behind us died and the Grynn had nowhere to go. Four men got out of the vehicles and captured the Grynn. Sonya and I took another road home so even if the Grynn escaped, they had no idea where to find us. So, I was perfectly safe the entire time.”

  Alix was glad Shay seemed okay, but she was still a little shaken up. “So, what are we going to do next?” she asked.

  It was Ben who answered her. “I think everyone should stay here tonight. We’re leaving tomorrow, and I think we should stick together. I don’t think the Grynn know where you are, and they can’t come on this property, so you’ll be safe Alix. I just don’t want to take any chances.”

  “What about our luggage?” she asked him.

  “Mom and dad can take your parents and Shay home to pack up everything and bring it here. Is that okay with everyone?”

  They all nodded.

  “Do I get a say in this?” she questioned.

  “Nope.” Ben smiled at her.

  Alix gave up. She knew that look and was almost positive that everyone in the room agreed with Ben. “Fine. Shay, will you finish packing for me? You’ve done most of it so far.”

  “It’ll be my pleasure.”

  “Oh, and don’t forget my toothbrush and stuff.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered,” Shay told her. “I also need to say good bye to my parents since we’re leaving in the morning. I’m sure glad they agreed to let me go.”

  Alix knew she did. “Me too. Thanks for getting my stuff, I owe you one. See you in a bit.”

  Natalie went with Shay to get what she needed for the trip to London. Rick took Heather and Ted to their house to get their luggage. Alix knew they would be gone for a while. She wasn’t sure what to do in the meantime. She looked around the room and realized that Sonya was still there.

  “So … um … Sonya,” Alix started, “do you need a ride somewhere or something?” Alix looked at Ben. She wasn’t sure what to do with Sonya.

  “No, but thank you. Kris will be picking me up when he’s done interrogating the Grynn.”

  That made Alix shudder. She wondered what was going to happen to them. Sure, they were evil and wanted to kill her, but she still felt a little guilty that someone else could be hurt or killed to protect her.

  “Do you know what’s going to happen to them?” Ben asked Sonya.

  “No. My orders were simply to impersonate the Kaelneth and get the blonde girl home safely.

  “First of all, call me Alix and the blonde’s name is Shay. Secondly, what do you mean orders? And also, how do you know Kris?”

  “I apologize Kaelneth and I’ll attempt to call you by your name. Kris used to be my commanding officer for a while and sometimes I forget he still isn’t. So, I guess they weren’t really orders, but a favor for Kris.”

  “How long have you been out of the military?” Alix asked Sonya.

  “Less than a year. It’s been a little hard adjusting.”

  “Do you live around here?” Alix asked curious.

  “Yes, just on the outskirts of town. I moved here after I left the military.”

  “How long did you serve?”

  “Ten years.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-eight.”

  “You look younger than that.”

  “Thank you.”

  Alix started to ask another question when Ben interrupted her. “Alix, I think that might be enough questions. This isn’t an inquisition,” he said smiling.

  “Sorry Sonya, I get curious and sometimes I get carried away,” Alix said blushing a little.

  “Not a problem Kaeln … I mean Alix.”

  To keep herself occupied while she waited she went to the den and decided to play with her magic. Without hardly a thought a dozen different colored light balls were floating in the air. She made them dance around the room and then had them explode like little fireworks.

  “That was pretty cool,” Ben told her.

  Alix jumped. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t know you were in here until I saw your light show. I thought we could all watch TV while we waited.”

  Alix noticed Sonya standing in the doorway.

  “Yeah sure,” Alix said. About ten minutes later she was already bored with the TV and went back to the kitchen.

  She usually baked the old-fashioned way but today she was going to use her magic. She still thought it was cool watching the flour fly though the air and land in the bowl. The first couple of times she baked magically she missed the bowl and made a huge mess. She was more careful now. When she added the coconut, she made it look like it was snowing over the mixing bowl and she giggled. She’d even learned how to use her magic to bake the cookies and not just mix them. It didn’t have the same mouth-watering smell as the oven, but it was way faster.

  Sonya and Ben found their way back to the kitchen. Ben tried to take a cookie.

  “They’re still hot. You have to wait,” she scolded him and he just grinned.

  “How long have you two been together?” Sonya asked watching them.

  That made Ben grin harder. Alix blushed and tried to form a sentence. Ben saved her the trouble.

  “We’re not together, just friends and I’m her Protector. Actually, we’ve only known each other for two months.”

  “My apologies,” Sonya said.

  “It’s okay,” Ben said. “Because Alix is the Chosen One we’ve had to spend a lot of time toget
her and we’ve become good friends in that time.”

  Alix busied herself by magically baking the rest of the cookies. She thought about what Ben had said, had it really only been two months since they met? It seemed like a lifetime ago. That got her thinking about everything that had changed, and she remembered her journal and called Shay.

  “Hey Alix,” Shay said when she answered.

  “Are you at my house?”

  “Yes, what’s up?”

  “I almost forgot my journal. Can you bring it with you?”

  “You bet. Where is it?”

  “Should be on my desk. And can you bring the colored pens I have too?”

  “Sure. Here it is. Do you want all the pens? ‘Cause there’s like twenty.”

  “Um, I probably don’t need all of them. I guess just the pink, purple, and turquoise ones please.”

  “You got it. I think we’re almost done here so we should be there soon.”

  “Awesome. Thank you.”

  “Yay! See you in a bit,” Shay said as she hung up.

  By the time she’d finished talking to Shay, the cookies had cooled enough to be able to eat them. Alix put a few on a plate and took them to the breakfast bar where Ben and Sonya were sitting.

  “These are really good,” Sonya told Alix after she finished her second cookie.

  “Thank you,” Alix replied.

  Sonya’s phone rang just as she picked up a third cookie. She was only on the phone a minute. “Kris will be here in a few minutes to take me home.”

  “Did he say anything about the Grynn?” Alix asked.

  “No, but I’m sure you can talk to him when he gets here,” Sonya said.

  Since Alix hated waiting she decided to clean up the kitchen while they waited for Kris to get there.

  Chapter 7

  Alix was anxious for Kris to arrive. She had no idea what he was going to tell her. Just as she was finishing cleaning up, he walked into the kitchen. Before she had a chance to ask her questions he started talking.

  “I know you want to know what happened Alix and I’ll tell you but you’re not going to like it. When I called the Almati council to tell them about the Grynn they sent an emergency team to our location. Since they found out you’re the Kaelneth they put a team close to here just in case anything were to happen. They interrogated the Grynn. As suspected they were searching for the Chosen One. The good news is that it appears that they don’t know who you are specifically. They were told to look for all young Nykara and follow them.”

  “Wait,” Alix said stopping him. “I thought you guys told me that they only way a Grynn can recognize us is by touching us. So how did they know I was Nykara?”

  “You were at the mall Alix,” Ben said, “did anyone bump into you?”

  “Probably, I wasn’t really paying attention to the people around me,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure I’d have noticed two guys with blue auras running around the mall.

  “Good point Alix. Are they searching all over the country or just here?” Ben asked.

  “They gave us the impression that they’re concentrating their search in north-west area of the country, but you can never be sure with the Grynn. Even under interrogation they’ve been known to lie. They didn’t mention the disappearance of Victor so at least we know they still haven’t found him, and he hasn’t escaped. We’re assuming they’re looking here because of where he disappeared.”

  “Did you learn anything else?” Alix asked.

  “Unfortunately, nothing more. It took a lot to get that little bit of information.”

  “What’s going to happen to the Grynn?” Alix asked, but wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer.

  “The council didn’t want to risk any of this getting back to the Grynn so they aren’t going to let them live. They’re going to make it look like an accident. I think they’re going to create a car wreck somewhere far away from here.”

  Alix sat in shock. Her mind was going back and forth. Two people were going to die because of her. But they wanted to kill her. They were evil but still a life was a life. But they also didn’t do anything good. She couldn’t figure out what to feel.

  “I’m sorry Alix,” Kris said. “I know this is hard for you and I’m sorry it’s become part of your reality.”

  Alix wasn’t sure how to respond. She didn’t like this part of it. It was scary.

  “Are you alright?” Ben asked her.

  “I don’t really know,” she replied. “Suddenly, things are becoming all too real. I need some air.”

  Alix ran out the back door and into the yard. It was cold, but she didn’t let that bother her. She wandered around for a few minutes until she found herself at the old grounds keeper’s cabin. The cabin was still so familiar to her because of her dreams. She walked in immediately used her magic to light a fire in the fireplace. She sat down in front of the fire and watched the flames dancing around. This was the place she first learned that she was Nykara. So much had happened since that last dream. Most of it was good, great actually, but not all of it. The Grynn were way scarier than she first thought. It had become very real when her and Shay had been followed and then even worse when she found out the fate of the Grynn that had been following them. She didn’t know what to do with her emotions. Alix heard the door open and turned around. It was Ben.

  “Talk to me Alix,” he said, as he joined her at the fire. “Get out whatever you’re feeling. Keeping it locked up isn’t going to help. I know I’m not Shay, but I can be a good listener.”

  That got a small smile out of Alix.

  “Part of the problem is I’m not exactly sure what I’m feeling. I’m relieved that the Grynn didn’t get us. Scared that they’re actively looking for me. Terrified they might find me. Glad those two won’t bother me again, but upset they’re going to be killed. I mean killed! It still seems a little extreme. There had to have been a better way.” Alix was practically shouting now.

  “The Almati Council has been dealing with the Grynn for hundreds of years so I’m sure they know what they’re doing. It may seem extreme to us, but I’m sure they have their reasons. I doubt that the Council goes around randomly killing people. You are the future of the world Alix and I think the Council will do anything to protect you. Without you the Grynn are foretold to take over the world. Protecting you means protecting all human and Nykara life.”

  Alix thought about what Ben said. It gave her a new perspective on things. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way. I still don’t like it, but I can understand a bit better now. I certainly don’t want evil to take over.”

  “The Grynn are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what they want, and that means you, Alix. And as much as you may not like it, that means we have to be ruthless as well. This is a war that’s been going on for centuries before we were born. Sometimes we’re going to have to do and see things that we won’t like, but we just have to remember the bigger picture-- saving all the innocents.”

  Ben knew just the right things to say to her to help her. “You know,” Alix said looking Ben in the eyes, “you may not be Shay, but you’re just as good at telling me what I need to hear to make the situation better. Thank you.”

  “Anytime Alix. Now, can we go back inside?”

  “Sure. Let’s go.” Alix stood up and put out the fire. She smiled as she used her magic to make the flamed smaller and smaller until they disappeared.

  They sprinted back to the house. Sonya was still in the kitchen with Kris when they got back.

  “Is everything okay?” Kris asked.

  “Yes, I think so,” Alix replied. “Ben said a few things to me that allowed me to see everything in a different light. I still might not like what’s happening, but at least I can better understand the why now.”

  “I keep forgetting you’re so young and still so new to our world,” Kris said to her. “It can be hard for the rest of us to appreciate what you’re going through.�
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  Unsure how to respond Alix just nodded.

  “Well Sonya we should get going,” Kris said. “Alix, as always it was a pleasure to see you. I’m just sorry it was under less than ideal circumstances. Have a good flight tomorrow and be safe. Ben you look after her.”

  “I will,” Ben replied.

  “Thank you both for today,” Alix told them. “It was nice to meet you Sonya. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

  Kris and Sonya headed out leaving Alix and Ben alone. Alix packaged up the cookies to take on the flight tomorrow. She hoped everyone got back soon. After the day she’d had she was feeling insecure and having the people she loved most out of her sight was making her feel uneasy.

  “I wish they would get back soon,” Alix said out of the blue.

  “Huh?” Ben said.

  “Our parents and Shay. I need everyone back here to know they’re safe.”

  “Oh, I see. Let me call mom and see where they’re at,” he told her and made a quick call to his mom. “They’re just finishing up at your house. They should be back in fifteen minutes or so. Why don’t we go relax and watch some TV in the den.”

  Alix agreed, but only if she could pick what they watched. She settled on a sitcom figuring they could use a good laugh. Just as she was starting to relax their parents and Shay got back. Ben and Alix went and met them in the hallway.

  “Where’s all the luggage?” Alix asked. Shay and her dad were only carrying a small bag each.

  “We decided to leave it in the vehicles,” Rick said smiling. “I think Shay is bringing enough clothes for everyone here for the entire trip.”

  “I did bring us stuff for tomorrow though,” Shay said holding up a small bag.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” her dad said, “but have you heard from Kris?”

  Alix’s happy mood was now dampened. She had momentarily forgot about the Grynn. She had everyone follow her to the den and proceeded to tell them what Kris said and what was going to happen to the Grynn. She even told them about her talk with Ben. They all sat quietly for a moment thinking about what they learned. It was her dad that finally said something.