With tear filled eyes, Alyssa lifted her sight to Maggie’s smiling face. A quick reflection on the past months choices suddenly allowed regret to find her. “I should never have…”
“Don’t,” replied Maggie holding a finger to Alyssa’s lips. “Those words never have, nor will they ever, change anything. Now, I may be biased because you are the love of my son, but I think that your actions and choices have been less selfish than most anyone I’ve ever met.” As Alyssa rolled her eyes, Maggie lifted her chin with a finger. “You helped save my son’s life, and at the most extreme of costs.” The emotion began to surface as her voice wavered slightly. “My only fear is that you will resent him for it.”
Taking Maggie into her arms, Alyssa replied through a gentle sob. “I love your son, and there is nothing in this world or any other that could make me regret saving him.” She pulled away and then continued. “I do have regrets,” she said looking to the house, “and I don’t know what the future holds for any of us. The one thing I do know,” she said with a smile creeping onto her lips, “is that I’m ready to go home.”
Maggie returned her smile and asked in a silly tone. “Oh? And where would that be, dear?”
“Wherever Test is.”
“May I come with you?” asked Maggie.
Alyssa took Maggie’s hand in hers as she took one last look at her Aunt and Uncle’s house. In a gentle, yet pained whisper, she replied. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 4
The mid-day sun was hidden in the sky by a thick blanket of clouds as Test exited the house. He’d spent the morning thinking of his conversation with Lauren, unable to shake the reality of her words. He’d taken a long hot shower in an attempt to relax, but nothing was going to shake the worry from his mind.
He looked around the house, amazed at how much it looked like the area where he had helped to build cabins in while working for Alyssa’s uncle, Enrique. He thought of Enrique and his wife, Julie. He wondered how they were managing after Alyssa’s passing. He then wondered if Alyssa had made contact with them, and if so, how things were going. One thing he was certain of; he wouldn’t be welcome. If he felt responsible for Alyssa’s death, surely Enrique and Julie felt the same.
He wondered about James, the friend that he failed. The last he’d seen him, he’d been walking away, broken both in body and spirit. The image of James disappearing around the bend in the mountain road would haunt him forever.
Without realizing it, he had unconsciously walked twenty or so feet from the back of the house and found himself standing on the edge of a dense tree line. As he took a step forward, he felt an instant and constricting pressure on his chest. With arms lifted in the air, he struggled for breath. And then he heard Lauren’s voice.
“As strong as you think you are, you are far from ready.”
Test tried to turn his head, but the pressure on his chest increased, causing his head to roll back.
“They could take you any time they want to,” whispered Lauren in his ear. “You’d never even know they were here. The only thing that saves you is the fact that I have you hidden.”
Just as consciousness was about to leave Test, Lauren released her grip. Collapsing to the ground, he laid on his side, sucking in the cool, moist Washington air. He glanced up to Lauren who stood over him with a stern look on her face, her arms folded across her chest in a defiant manner. Test clenched his fists and he could feel the energy within begging to be set free. With clenched teeth, he spoke, though it sounded as much like a growl as it did words. “You bitch.”
Throwing his left palm towards her, he released a strong pulse, but in the instant he felt it leave his body, Lauren disappeared into thin air. He pushed himself to his knees and scanned the area where she had stood a moment before. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the compression on his chest returned and he felt himself thrust forward to the ground. This time, Lauren released him quickly.
“I may be a bitch,” she spewed angrily, “but I’m the bitch that’s going to save your life!”
Test rolled over to see her standing in the ready, arms raised slightly away from her sides and her palms facing him. The red glow from her torso and palms quickly faded, leaving only the blue to be faintly visible in the daylight.
Lauren took a step towards him and continued to scold. “Had I been a Reaper, you’d be dead right now.” She stared into his angry, yet blank, stare. “Does that even register with you?” she asked.
Test picked himself up and stood in front of her, his anger sending bright red pulses of light streaming down his arms and into his palms. Pointing to him, Lauren grinned devilishly, “You better turn that shit off. Why don’t you just call Isaac and tell him where we are?”
Taking deep breaths, Test glared at Lauren. She raised her palms and eyebrows as if to say “well?” and then began to tap her foot on the damp forest floor.
Forced to trust, though hesitant to do it, he closed his eyes and focused on the sounds of the forest. Slowly the red light within faded and, after a moment, the blue did the same. When he opened his eyes, he found that Lauren was standing closer to him than before.
“I’m sorry if my way upsets you,” said Lauren, her tone suddenly shifting to one of concern, “but it’s the only way I know.”
Unable to look her in the eyes, Test stared over her. “And the whole point of that was?” he asked snidely.
Lauren’s face quickly shifted expressions once again. “You don’t get it, do you?” She turned from him and walked a couple of steps away. With her back to him, she continued. “You don’t know anything. You know that you’re a Shadow; you know you have power; but you are just a child learning to walk.” She turned back to him. “There are things that you must learn if you are to survive.” Lauren dropped her head and huffed. “Hell, even if you decide to learn, I couldn’t promise you that you’d live much longer anyway.”
Confused and frustrated, Test finally spoke. “Lauren, I get it. I get that you’re trying to help me. I get that I’m young and that I don’t know everything.” He took a step towards her. “What I don’t get is why me? I still don’t understand why I’m so important to the Reapers.”
Softened once more, Lauren replied. “It’s because you are rare. Your gifts came to you at such a young age. There has only been one other instance of that happening, and he became the most powerful Shadow ever born.”
Test instantly knew who she was speaking of. “Isaac?” he replied.
Lauren nodded her head. “Isaac has tasked his soldiers with either converting you, of which they failed, or to destroy you before your powers fully matured. I guarantee that they are hell-bent and committed to carrying out his wishes.”
For an instant Test felt a touch of pride creep in. “So he’s—scared of me?” he replied with a smirk.
Lauren grinned back. “In a manner of speaking, yes, but right now you wouldn’t stand a chance should Isaac himself decide to come for you.”
With the animosity towards Lauren fading, he suddenly understood what he had to do. No matter how bi-polar or bitchy Lauren was, he needed her.
Test stood tall and pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Tell me what to do,” he stated simply. “I’m ready to learn.”
With a smile, but no reply, a quick burst of white light came from Lauren’s chest and her body began to look like the blur of static on a television screen until, after a few seconds, her image melted with that of the trees behind her.
Test looked all around him, feeling like he was suddenly thrust into a game of hide and seek. His aching ribs told him that this game was unlike any that he’d played as a child, and there were more than likely going to be some consequences come with it. As he took his first step, he thought he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye and turned towards it, his breath trapped in his lungs as he waited for Lauren’s attack. It didn’t come. He walked further into the woods, stepping over debris and listening intently over the sound of his feet against the forest
floor. He paused for a moment, leaning a hand on a tree that stood beside him. Suddenly, from behind, the snap of a large timber echoed through the trees and he turned just in time to watch a large spruce miss him by a fraction of a yard.
Instinctively, he jumped backward. As he did, another spruce fell behind him, shaking the earth beneath his feet.
“Are you trying to fucking kill me?” he shouted into the damp morning air.
In a blink Lauren appeared beside him. “No,” she said calmly, “but Isaac no doubt, will.”
The two of them stared at each other for a tense moment.
“You have to stop looking with your eyes,” said Lauren. “You are a being of energy. Granted, so are humans, but you and I are different. Everything has energy, a force.”
Test, still angry, cut her off and spoke snidely. “What, are you going to start quoting old science fiction movies?”
“Shut up,” Lauren replied curtly, but with a smile. “Close your eyes.”
Test stared at her as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Close them,” Lauren commanded once more.
Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and awaited her instruction.
“What do you feel?” she asked.
With a deep sigh, he tried to focus, but couldn’t feel anything different than he ever had. “It’s cold and…”
Before he could finish something slammed into his chest and he felt himself hurl through the air. He landed with his back hitting the first fallen spruce and opened his eyes to see Lauren standing over him.
“Did you feel that?” shouted Lauren. “Do you want to die? Is that it?” Any hint of levity had been erased from Lauren’s face. “Stand up,” she commanded.
Test’s back ached, and as he righted himself, he stood face to face with her.
“Close your eyes,” she barked.
Without hesitation this time, Test did as he was told.
“Now, tell me what you feel?”
Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, Test turned his head from side to side, the vertebrae in his neck cracking loudly. He strained to feel something, anything other than what was the reality of the place he stood.
“I’m sorry. I can’t—I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.” There was no answer. “Lauren?” he asked, but there was still no answer. He slowly opened his eyes to see that she no longer stood before him. From an unseen location, he heard her voice through the trees.
“Close your eyes,” she shouted.
His eyelids instantly snapped shut. He firmed up his stance, attempting to be ready for anything that might come his way. After a short moment of silence, he found himself breathing deeper and felt his muscles soften as his body relaxed. He rolled his head back and took in the scent of the woods; the fresh clean smell was intoxicating.
Suddenly, from his right, he felt something. He couldn’t understand it. It was as if a gentle breeze was pushing the fabric of his hoodie into his flesh. With eyes still closed, he turned into it and, as he did, felt the ‘breeze’ move from his arm to his chest and stomach.
As suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. He turned in a slow circle, trying to find the sensation once more. It wasn’t until a minute or so later that he realized he felt a gentle push at his scalp. He looked up, again with eyes still closed, and marveled at how the push felt on his face. In his mind’s eye, he almost envisioned it as a laser sight from a gun that someone was holding on him, ready to fire at any moment.
Again the sensation disappeared. He stood for what felt like five minutes or so, his hypersensitive state of mind scanning his body for anything that was remotely different. “Lauren?” he called plainly, thinking to himself that it would be just like her to leave him out in the woods while she went in for a cup of coffee. Without an answer, he finally opened his eyes and peered around cautiously, anxious and nervous. As he began to climb over the first fallen spruce, he felt something on his back. It was a sensation he’d felt many times before, as if someone was touching him. He’d always written it off as nothing, but now he stopped and paid attention. With one foot on the tree, he froze and continued to feel the touch. He let his torso twist slightly, just to see if the feeling moved; and it did. He knew then that this was the energy that Lauren was talking about. He could feel her.
He glanced over his shoulder and peered through the trees, but could see nothing. He abandoned the fallen tree and began to walk in the direction of the energy, using it almost as he would a compass. As he walked a straight line, the energy would move to one side or the other, and he would walk in the direction that kept the pressure on his chest.
Before long he realized that he had been led in a circle and that he was approaching the edge of the tree line. He could just make out pieces of Lauren’s house just on the other side of the trees. As he reached the opening, he jumped at the sound of Lauren’s voice.
“Very good,” she said calmly.
Test turned to see that she was sitting on the ground with her back resting against a tree. Not knowing what to say, he stood there for a moment, feeling good about himself and what he’d just learned. She stood and walked towards the house and he followed quietly until he noticed something different. He could now feel a tingle on his chest, but instead of the sensation of a breeze blowing towards him, it felt like it was pulling at him.
He called out to her. “Lauren.”
She stopped without turning.
“I feel something—something different than before.”
She looked over her shoulder and replied. “Girlfriend’s home.”
Test’s heart skipped as he hurried past Lauren and stepped up to the porch. He could feel the tugging sensation at his chest grow stronger. For a moment, he wondered why he’d never noticed it before, but that moment quickly passed as he began to let out weak pulses. He watched as Alyssa and his mother’s form came into view.
“Hey there, handsome,” said Alyssa with a wide smile as she wrapped her arms around him.
Test gave her a firm squeeze and then reached his hand out to his mother who stood behind Alyssa. The two of them smiled at each other as Test and Alyssa parted.
Suddenly remembering where she’d been, the smile on his face faded, being replaced by a look of concern. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
Alyssa glanced back to Maggie. “Yeah,” she replied timidly. “Everything is fine.”
Sensing that everything wasn’t ‘fine’, Test answered. “Are you sure? You don’t seem…”
“She said everything’s fine, honey,” Maggie interrupted. She glanced to Lauren who stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the porch. “What have you two been up to? Go for a morning walk in the woods?”
Test quickly glanced to Lauren and then back to his mother. “Yeah, something like that,” he replied with a chuckle.
From behind, Lauren bumped into him as she passed. “You might as well tell them,” she said in her now familiar bitchy tone. “If they’re going to hang around and suck the life out of you, they should know what it could mean.”
Chapter 5
All of them entered the house and found a seat in the living room. Lauren started a fire and then plopped down on the couch, resting her head against the back. The room, as homey and quaint as it was, now became a breeding ground for anxiety and tension.
“So,” asked Maggie of Lauren. “What do you mean we ‘re sucking the life out of him’?”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “You guys are like freaking vampires. You’re constantly draining his energy just so you can stay on this side.”
Knowing that they were just outside of Forks, Test found her comment somewhat ironic and wondered if she’d been waiting to use that for a while now. “Oh come on! Turn down the drama, will ya?” said Test.
Lauren leaned forward in her seat and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling a stray leaf from between several strands. “Look,” she said as she stared at the floor. She raised her gaze and glared intently at Alyssa. “Th
is thing is far from over.” She watched with a twisted pleasure as Alyssa fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair. “That thing at the hotel, with Anil, that was a walk in the park compared to what is going to happen.”
“Lauren!” exclaimed Test.
With a hand raised in his direction to shut him up, she continued. “Anil was my mentor, and I knew him well. As powerful as he was, he was just a soldier. Killing him did nothing but delay the coming of Isaac.”
Trembling, Maggie asked. “Lord, that sounds so biblical. Who is this Isaac?”
Lauren laughed at Maggie’s ignorance. “It may as well be biblical as far as Test and I are concerned. Isaac is the oldest and most powerful Reaper that has ever been. It was important to him to either convert Test, or destroy him. His right hand man failed to do either. He will come for us; it’s just a matter of time.”
“Why do they want him so badly?” asked Alyssa.
“I don’t know for sure, but I have a theory. It has something to do with him showing his powers when he was so young. Most Shadows don’t show their abilities until they are older, in their early to mid-teens.” There was a brief pause. “I think Isaac is afraid of him.”
Test’s heart skipped a beat. His mind went blank, speech was impossible.
As Lauren’s eyes focused on Test, Alyssa asked a question. “If Anil was your mentor, wouldn’t they know where you live? Why haven’t they found us yet?”
Lauren stood and walked to the fire place, poking and prodding at the logs to intensify the flame. “I was assigned to hunt Test years ago, when he was a small child. My mission was to find and convert him or to kill him. I found him quickly.”
Maggie let out a gasp. “How did you know where—how did Isaac know?”
Lauren returned to her seat and responded. “Whenever a new Shadow comes into their power, Isaac can sense it.” She turned to Test. “Just as you were learning to feel my presence this morning, Isaac has that capacity times infinity. That’s why it is so important for you to not lose control. Typically, when a new Shadow matures, they don’t know how to control their powers and they have a tendency to use it. Isaac can sense these outbursts.”
The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series Page 3