by Gina Keliher
Prologue
It’s not a good thing and it’s not a bad thing. You could call it a talent, but it comes with some drawbacks; like being an ‘A’ list celebrity will mean dealing with paparazzi every day.
The night of my 6th birthday I discovered my destiny. It involves killing people.
I suppose its best to start at the beginning.
My sister, Lisa, is two years older than I, but our birthdays are just a few days apart, so we always shared parties until she grew out of pineapple and cheese on sticks. It was my sixth birthday, Lisa’s eighth, and my mother had arranged for a magician. We’d decided it would be fancy dress and had spent half the day eating too much and generally trashing the house as only young children can do with twenty of their friends.
I heard my mother talking to someone at the front door so I ran out to see which of my friends had arrived late. There was a gentleman standing there with a black cape, a black top hat and a rabbit in a cage. My first impression was of tremendous excitement until I noticed my mother’s face. I’d never seen her looking so horrified. Her back was rigid, and she stood before him in a way that I’ve realized since was one of defence. She was defending the entrance to our home from him. She was telling him he had to leave. Leave now.
I crept up to her and peered at the man from beside her. At first she tried to push me away but then she held me close as she talked to the magician.
In later years I’d learn that the look on her face changed from determination to resignation – there was almost sadness there. “I really think you have to leave. There’s obviously been some sort of mistake”.
“This is 12 Bluebell Drive, Alice and Lisa’s birthday party?” The magician said.
“Yes it is. But I don’t want someone like you around mine or anyone else’s children.” Her voice sounded calm and controlled, but it was laced with anger.
The colour on his face had drained but he recovered quickly. “What do you mean? I’m the magician. See? Here’s my rabbit.”
“Leave now and you’ll live a little while longer. But I will find you and I will kill you. It’s what I have to do when I look at a Being like yours. I know what you do to children. I can’t prove it but I don’t have to. My only interest is in stopping you and the only way I know how is to kill you.”
These were distressingly strong words coming from my mother – she was always so carefree and calm. The laughter lines on her face proved her vitality. Hearing her like this, however, didn’t scare me. It felt like a natural side to her that I just hadn’t met yet. I finally turned to the man on the doorstep. His eyes narrowed and I saw something I can’t fully explain. Try to imagine someone breathing out when it’s really cold and frosty outside. That plume of warm breath like a soft fog against the cold air. Now try to imagine it seeping out of every pore of a man. Now see it as dark as night.
I ran to my bedroom hearing the front door slam and my mother’s steps on the stairs behind me.
“Alice, you sensed it, didn’t you?”
I knew what she meant and I nodded numbly.
She sighed, “Darling Alice, I knew you had the ability but I didn’t want you to have the responsibility that comes with it yet.” She held me close, thinking before she continued. “Every second daughter born of someone who can sense Beings and every first son will have the ability. It’s been passed on for hundreds of years. We can sense the good in people as well as the bad.”
“Mummy he was leaking darkness.”
“So you could see it?” She’d asked, nodding. “You will find some people that have so much goodness in them you will almost be blinded by the light that pours off them. That fog you saw is what we call a person’s Being. And everybody’s Being will appear to you as a colour, varying in shade, from a blinding white light, through shades of grey, to the very blackest black.”
It had frightened me. And here was my mother telling me that we all had these Beings in us.
“What colour am I?”
My mothers smile filled the room with such warmth, that I suddenly saw her properly for the first time in my life. And she shone with such a purity and brilliance that my breath caught in my throat. “My darling,” she said softly, “you are as white and as pure as snow. We help the good people; the people who have Beings that are the purest brightest white. We help put them in positions of influence so they do the right thing for humankind. Like provide jobs, start charities, find cures for deadly diseases. It’s a very special gift sweetheart.”
She told me how I could inspire and do good in the world with my ability. She explained how there were many of us, and that one day I would belong to a group who could protect the good from the evil. To such young ears, it sounded like fairies fighting goblins.
Sometimes now, that analogy fits far too well.
“The magician downstairs, he is completely evil; his Being showed us. He is the type of person who does bad things every day. His Being can not be saved, and people like us, people who can sense and who understand, we know that he must be dealt with. We must make sure that he can never harm anyone ever again. This is the downside to our gift. The dark side. When you sense a Being like his, there is no redemption for him. We have to remove evil like that. You have to kill people with damned Beings like that.”
That night she took me with her to a kill for the first time.
Chapter One
I recently had my fist solo kill and it wasn’t that bad. I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, putting petrol in my car, when I saw someone run outside ripping off a balaclava and carrying a gun. Maybe it was the right place at the right time. He had the oozing damned Being that only I could see. Bit of a no brainer really. I put the car in drive, got out and with amazing luck managed to pin the guy between my car and his getaway car. His driver panicked and put his foot down and virtually cut him in half. Then the getaway driver surrendered. Well, really he was throwing up so bad he wasn’t going anywhere.
I told the police it was an accident, I hadn’t realized I’d left the car in drive (not that they really cared) and I was hailed a local hero. Turns out the cashier inside had been shot moments before and if I hadn’t been there he may have bled to death.
As first kills go I think I got lucky.
It’s not the same for everyone who is ‘Gifted’. My ability is through sight but others sense it through smell, taste, touch or any number of senses.
I’m seventeen now and am comfortable with my ability. Maybe that’s because I have a great mentor who has taught me the history of the ‘Gifted’, maybe it’s because I’ve met others like me, or maybe I feel like part of a superhero group. Even though we’re not, of course.
“Hi Adrian, its Alice.”
“Come on up, I’ll buzz you in.”
Adrian lives on Millennium Drive in CanaryWharf. Very nice apartment. He’s my mentor. Adrian is 34, looks 26 and has the knowledge of a 99 year old. He has smooth black skin and a shaved head, dresses in Armani and wears shiny brown brogues. He is handsome and I see him with a gleaming white Being.
Poppy met me at the door with a Diet Pepsi, “It’s bloody scorching out there today.” She said.
Poppy is my best friend. Born Penelope Adelaide Howard to Lord and Lady Howard who reside (never live) in the most magnificent manor house with at least 200 acres of land in Surrey. Poppy lives (never resides) with me, is a champion horse rider, excellent hunter and recently had her first kill. With a polo stick. Don’t ask. She has the most beautiful auburn hair, which spends 95 percent of the time in a ponytail, is about 5ft 2in with bright green eyes and is slender and constantly bubbly. I should hate her but she’s infectious.
Me, I look like Alice in Wonderland. Without th
e headband. Have no idea how my mum knew to call me Alice. Long blond hair to my waist, blue eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across my nose.
“Ah, the gang’s all here.” Adrian points out.
The gang consists of me, Poppy, Stefan, Annabel and Robbie.
“Stefan had his first kill last night.” Adrian looks proud as he says this. He’s mentored us all for a while now, and now that we’ve each ‘gone solo’, I suppose there must be a little satisfaction in it for him; at the very least, approval that none of us have been caught and arrested.
“How was it?” Annabel asked. The first one can be gut wrenching. No matter this is what we have to do, taking a person’s life is never going to be a fun job. We know our kills are evil people. Evil beyond all hope of salvation, but they were once good. Or at least I like to think so. After all, I believe every baby is born with a pure Being.
Robbie is a little different. Robbie doesn’t see a person’s Being like I do. Instead he senses them through pain. If a person has a damned Being, Robbie feels the most excruciating pain that can be horrific to watch. Because of this he doesn’t hesitate in his killings for even a second. He may be the youngest member of our group but he definitely has the highest kills so far.
A few years ago Robbie’s parents passed away leaving Robbie in charge of his younger brother, Luke. There is nothing in the world that Robbie wouldn’t do for his brother. He will kill every damned Being in the world if that’s what it takes to protect him. They live with Adrian which I’m glad for, as its one more person to watch over Luke. I don’t want to imagine what Robbie would be like without him.
“Now, now Annabel. You know we don’t all like to brag about our first kill. Suffice to say it’s over and there is always more work to be done.”
Adrian is one of the good teachers. The kind that you can have fun with, but when it comes down to business he knows we take him seriously. We respect him. We actually trust him with our lives, as he’s taught us how to kill cleverly. And he’s always cooking.
“You know all about people with damned Beings and you know there are those with pure Beings; it’s imperative to look for the pure Beings as these people hold the key to our future. When you encounter them, and unfortunately this won’t be as often as the damned Beings, be sure to find out more about them. Introduce yourselves.”
“What, just go up to them and say ’Hi, I can sense your Being and you’re gonna go far in this world!’” Stefan laughs, “Isn’t that going to freak them out?”
Adrian sighs, “You just have to meet them. For generations we’ve been seeking out the pure Beings and putting them into positions of power; heads of corporations, teachers, researchers, law enforcement. We’ve built a hierarchy to enable those with a pure Being to find their right place in the world, where they will excel.
“Our job is to make sure that they keep their Being pure so that they can share their specialty with others. The twelve year old entrepreneur who now owns one of the largest company’s in the UK, employing over a hundred thousand people. Without our help, he would probably have never made it. We gave him opportunity, and he moulded it. And the young law student who graduated with honours and suddenly found his calling on the stage. He brings humour and passion to millions of people, putting a smile on their face that might not have been there if it were not for us helping him.”
Adrian continues, “We look for that someone who could make the world a better place.”
I know this is important but I’m trying not to laugh. Poppy is sat there with her mouth open and her eyes glazed over. Without a doubt she’ll find more people with pure Beings than anyone. She just attracts the good people in the world. She is completely enthralled.
“So that wraps up the lecture for today. Anyone care for a sandwich?” And with that, Poppy’s spell is broken as Adrian wanders inside to the kitchen. I hope it’s not the cucumber sandwiches again.
“So it was bad?” Annabel returns to Stefan’s kill.
I can see from his face it wasn’t pretty. Stefan is the oldest of our group. At 23, 6ft 3in and built like a rugby player, you’d think Stefan could break every bone in someone’s body with no trouble. But he’s also the one who has the most problems with the killing thing. He’s gorgeous, a prankster and has one of the biggest hearts around.
I think his best asset though is the way he senses Beings, through body temperature. When he encounters someone with a great Being he gets hot. I’m waiting for the day when he meets a pure Being as I’m sure his shirt will have to come off.
“It started out fine. We were in an alley, no one around; all I had to do was make it look like a mugging gone wrong. Then I pulled my arm back, I was going for one good punch to knock her out, I leaned closer, swung my arm and slapped her.”
“Why did you slap her?” I think we all asked that at the same time.
“I didn’t mean to, I’m just not the type of guy to punch a woman! Anyway, what could I do then? She was horrified, I was horrified but I knew I had to finish it so after she slapped me back I eventually got it right.”
I’m sat there looking a little like Poppy a moment ago. I know my mouth is hanging open and I daren’t look at anyone else because I know I’ll start laughing. I wait for what seems an eternity for someone to say something and when no one does I glance over at Robbie. I’m done. He hasn’t moved a muscle but I can see tears of laughter running down his face. I can’t help it I do one of those horrendous snorts of laughter and then we all start. Stefan is completely purple with embarrassment but then starts howling with laughter himself.
“Sandwiches are ready.” We hear from inside.
“Come on Slappy, let’s eat.”
Chapter Two
We’re on the tube heading into Harvey Nichols. Poppy mainly shops here and she’s seen this ‘darrrrrling’ little dress she has to have. Poppy has a whole wing in her parents’ home of ‘darrrrrling’ little dresses but you only ever see her in jeans or jodhpurs.
Annabel decided to stay with Adrian – no doubt to pick his brain and learn more. It’s not that we don’t like her but she is the outsider of the group. It’s as if she puts some distance between her and us. We’re her work colleagues but not her ‘friends’. Sometimes I think she looks at us as being childish. She’s 22, going on 42, with long brown hair (that always needs a trim if you ask me) and loves to brag. After school she travelled the world and can speak every language of every country she travelled in. Her first kill was an African aid worker who was stealing medication and food and selling it on the black market. She’s invaluable in her knowledge and she has worldwide contacts, but she doesn’t seem to laugh much.
Robbie is the quiet one. He’s not shy by any stretch of the imagination. He’s just the one who will let the rest of us rant on for hours, before delivering the one liner that will either have us in stitches, or in shock.
With Poppy and Stefan around I find it hard not to laugh. They never seem to stop flirting and poking fun at one another.
We can pretty much turn our ability on and off. It takes a little while to get used to it but you’d go crazy if you left it on all the time. We not only sense good and evil but all the ‘shades of grey’ in between.
“Slappy, shall we go for lunch in the Green Man after shopping?” Only Poppy could get away with calling Stefan Slappy. He’s also unaware of the fact that Poppy is madly in love with him.
“Sure Poppet.” Here we go. The only other person who is allowed to call her Poppet is Lady Howard, Poppy’s mum.
“I’ll only be 10 minutes; I know the dress I want. But maybe I need a purse and shoes to match. Ooh and some make up, probably some perfume……”
“Guys,” Robbie interrupts. To some he looks broody all the time. He has floppy brown hair that he constantly pushes out of his eyes so he can search peoples Beings. Right now it’s in his eyes as he’s almost doubled over in pain.
At the last stop a young man got on clutching his briefcase, followed by three boys who did
n’t look like they were friends of his. The oldest of the boys has a damned Being.
“Oh.” Poppy says and we all break away from the boys to look at Poppy who has that enthralled look again. “It’s like freshly washed linen that’s been hung outside to dry on a beautiful summers day.” Poppy senses through smell and right now she looks like a Bisto kid.
Stefan, Robbie and I are confused for a moment but then one by one we look back at the young man with the briefcase.
The whiteness that is literally radiating off the young man is breathtaking. I glance at the other passengers in amazement at the fact they can’t see what I can.
Robbie is the first to move. “I’ll take care of the dirty work; you guys get him to safety.”
It’s a statement not a question and it doesn’t dawn on me to offer to help Robbie as I’m still so enamoured by this young man. I don’t mean love at first sight. Truthfully he looks a little nerdy. Really bad glasses that I’m pretty sure have been taped over his left ear. Two days worth of dark stubble. Dark hair that will be salt and pepper way before he’s even 30.
“What do we do?” I ask the others quietly.
“Adrian said that we have to talk to him and find out more about him.”
Poppy frowns, “How do you strike up a conversation with a guy on the underground without him thinking you’re a mugger or a weirdo?”
That has us thinking.
The three are still watching him but then they see Robbie walking towards them. Robbie is not a big guy at 16, but they obviously see something in his eyes they don’t like as they move to the doors, ready to leave at the next platform. Needless to say Robbie follows them off when the stop comes and I’m sure we’ll hear of an accident on the tracks later.
We decide to keep our distance, and follow the man when he gets off the train. After all, there really is no way to strike up a conversation down here without people thinking you’re strange, or foreign.