Volume 1: Bailex, #1

by Erin Everleigh

  “I’m all for that.” Kieran sat up straighter, eager to get started.

  Giuseppe unzipped a clear plastic case and pulled out a small lancing device. He ripped open an alcohol wipe and went to take hold of Kieran’s hand. “It’s just a small prick,” Giuseppe explained. “This is where the uniqueness comes from.”

  Kieran felt the colour drain from his face. “I’m not so sure about this anymore.”

  “You’ll be fine.”

  Kieran wearily extended his hand to Giuseppe. He wiped the pad of Kieran’s index finger, then set it down, not moving to prick it just yet.

  “What we’re making is called Bailixir,” Giuseppe explained. “We combine pure Bailessence, which on its own is solely used for healing, and your blood. Then, we put it under a specific pressure for a set time.” Giuseppe opened the largest of the vials of liquid. It was clear, but had a glowing, iridescent nature to it. “This is pure Bailessence.”

  Next, he screwed the cap off of another vial and turned it upside down, letting three drops of an amber coloured liquid fall into the first vial. As soon as the drops hit the surface of the Bailessence, the glowing ceased and the liquid turned murky. Giuseppe held the large vial at its base and swirled the liquid around.

  “The Bailessence must be primed before it will properly accept and incorporate your blood.” He set the vial down and then opened the canister. He tipped the canister over, and two small white pills spilled into his hand. “This is the last priming step.” Giuseppe dropped the pills into the vial. Both he and Kieran watched as the pills sank to the bottom. Bubbles began to fizz to the surface, clearing the murkiness. The pills then began spinning at the bottom of the vial, increasing the speed of the rising bubbles. It looked like something Kieran had seen in chemistry class.

  “Now, we wait,” Giuseppe explained. “When the bubbles stop, we’ll be ready to go.”

  “Have you heard of Diamondbrush Industries?” Giuseppe asked.

  Kieran thought for a moment. “It sounds familiar. I think the woman at FarmHill Market mentioned it.”

  “Well, Diamondbrush Industries is one of those ‘protective measures’ that I spoke about earlier. The company owns various media outlets throughout the world—newspaper, television, and webpages. It uses those outlets to help control and spin any public events or issues that may lead to the exposure of the Charmyn race. It also owns real estate around the world. It will be through Diamondbrush Industries that you’ll get to the camp. Logistically and physically.”

  “I’m going to camp?” Kieran’s confusion was overshadowed by a flurry of excitement.

  “That you are. Didn’t I mention that earlier?” Giuseppe joked, knowing full well he hadn’t mentioned a thing.

  “What kind of camp?” Kieran was already imagining a summer filled with water sports, campfires and field games.

  “All Charmyns between the ages of twelve and sixteen are expected to attend camp for six weeks each summer. In your first summer, you’ll become versed in Charmyn history and its ancient way of life. You will learn to control your ability by exploring its boundaries and limitations. And you will train alongside those with similar gifts. Most importantly, you will build bonds with those in your bunk—forging alliances and trusts that are essential to using your abilities in unison with others.”

  Kieran rubbed his hands back and forth over his knees, taking it all in.

  “There’s a consent form that must be completed before you go.”

  And there it was. The pin—Kieran shrunk into the couch, like a deflating balloon.

  “Don’t fret. I know what you’re thinking and I’ve already taken care of it.”

  Kieran tilted his head to the side.

  “When you were in the washroom, I contacted Victor, the President of Diamondbrush Industries in your region. He has already sent word to your foster parents that you have been chosen to join others of your academic calibre,” Giuseppe’s voice raised an octave, “in an intensive leadership program that coincidentally runs the same six weeks as the Charmyn Camp. The consent form and information on where to report to tomorrow should be at your house by the time you return home tonight.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Camp started today. But I assumed you would need some time to pack, so tomorrow should suffice.”

  Kieran’s mind was working at warp speed—he wished he could have more time. It was all moving so quickly. He brought a shaky hand to his forehead and held it there, trying to slow his racing thoughts.

  Maybe it’s better this way. Kieran began convincing himself.

  With so much to do, there’ll be less time to think about how he was lying to Patti and Jim once again—after promising himself he was done with the lies.

  Half-truth?

  This isn’t a full and complete lie. Just a half-truth…

  “There we go.” Giuseppe’s voice broke through Kieran’s thoughts.

  “Hmm?” Kieran returned his focus to Giuseppe. He had Kieran’s index finger suspended above the vial of primed Bailessence. Kieran watched in surprise as a drop of blood fell from his fingertip into the vial. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t felt the finger prick.

  “That’s number three. You did great, Kieran.” Giuseppe dabbed at the tip of Kieran’s finger with some gauze and then let his hand go.

  Giuseppe stirred the drops of blood through the liquid with a thin glass stick. Streaks of orange followed the movement. He continued to stir until the entire liquid was the colour of a pumpkin.

  “Can you lift the lid off of that for me, please?” Giuseppe pointed to the tiny device that looked like a coffee press, carefully holding the vial in his other hand.

  Kieran gripped the thin metal plunger protruding from the lid. He removed the lid from the glass beaker and placed it in front of Giuseppe. Giuseppe stabilized the beaker and transferred the orange liquid into it. He instructed Kieran to replace the lid.

  “Would you like to do the honours?”

  Kieran nodded. For once, he was not dumbfounded. Having seen Jim make his coffee with something similar every morning, Kieran knew exactly what to do.

  “Just until the height of the liquid,” Giuseppe instructed.

  Kieran pushed down on the plunger. The spiralled wire base of the lid, that was the exact circumference of the beaker, separated from its plastic top. It took more effort than Kieran expected. A light smoke floated on the surface of the liquid as Kieran pushed closer to it.

  “The liquid needs to reabsorb the gases. We’re going to do it in stages. Perfect, stop there.”

  Kieran halted, letting the wire base rest at the surface of the liquid, with no gas resting between.

  “In five minutes, we’ll push half way through. Then in another five minutes, we’ll push the rest of the way.”

  ***

  Giuseppe capped the lid on a small glass vial and handed the Bailixir to Kieran. “Here you go. Let it rest an hour before taking any.”

  “Thank you,” Kieran took the small bottle from Giuseppe.

  “That will only last you a couple of days. Normally, you would take one tablespoon each morning, which is about one-quarter of that bottle. But, because you have been without it for so long, you need a little catch-up. So take half of it in an hour, and then the other half 24 hours later. By the time you need more, you’ll be at camp. They’ll be able to supply you with it there.”

  Kieran watched the orange liquid slosh, as he tipped the bottle from side to side.

  “Go on. Your friend is waiting for you.” Giuseppe pointed to the framed mailbox on the bottom right where Kieran had spotted Riya relaxing earlier. She wasn’t basking in the sun any longer. She was pacing circles around the mailbox, checking her watch every couple of steps, and mouthing words Kieran couldn’t hear. But from the look on her face and the rigidness of her posture, it likely wasn’t anything good.

  Riya.

  Kieran secured the Bailixir in
an interior zippered compartment of his backpack and rose to bid Giuseppe farewell.

  “Will I see you again?” Kieran asked.

  “Only time will tell.” Giuseppe stood and took Kieran’s hand. “You are a brave young boy, Kieran. You are going to do just fine. What I’ve explained to you today are just the basics. But I can tell that you’re a fast learner. The best advice that I can give you is to remember that things aren’t always as they seem. Make sure to have your wits about you at all times, and never take anything for granted.” He looked intently into Kieran’s eyes. “There is purpose and meaning in everything, and it’s when that is forgotten that trouble will find you.”

  Eighteen

  Just in Time

  RIYA ROUNDED THE MAILBOX for the umpteenth time, feeling like a hamster exercising on a wheel. When she spotted Kieran stumbling through the trees, she stopped dead in her tracks. He was gripping the sides of his head, clearly in immense pain.

  “Kieran!” She flung her backpack off of her shoulders and ran to his aid. “Are you okay?” She searched him for signs of injury. Kieran squeezed his eyes into thin slits and pushed his fingers against his temples.

  “It’s starting to get better. Give me a minute.” Kieran moved his fingers in a circular motion on the sides of his head.

  Riya’s hand went to touch Kieran, but she pulled back before making contact, unsure if he wanted to be touched. “What can I do?” Her eyes frantically looked for something she could do to help. Her hands went to Kieran’s shoulders, grasping the straps of his backpack. “Let me get this off you.” Kieran silently obliged, momentarily lowering his hands from his head to free his bag.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you to go in there alone. What was I thinking?” Riya’s voice shook.

  Kieran turned his gaze to Riya. “Don’t be sorry. I’m fine. Nothing bad happened to me. It’s just one of those headaches again—but of epic proportions this time.” He attempted a laugh to ease Riya’s worry, but instead, it came out sounding like a squealing pig. He got the response he was hoping for anyways—she laughed.

  Riya slung Kieran’s backpack over her shoulder and helped him to the mailbox where her belongings were waiting. “Hang on to this for support,” she went to place his arm on the curved red surface of the metal box. “I’m just going to grab my things and we’ll start walking. It’s almost four.”

  As soon as Kieran’s arm contacted with the mailbox, he was hit with a force that almost knocked him over. He grabbed the mailbox with his other arm as everything went blurry before coming back into focus.

  Kieran was on the other side of the trees. The cottage stood about fifteen feet away. He slowly turned, taking in his surroundings. To his right, there were broken branches and scattered leaves—not ones that would have fallen on their own, especially this time of year. He continued surveying the area. Just to the side of the broken branches were three crows lying dead on the ground. He looked to his left and saw two more dead crows. Their bodies were void of any movement, limp on the forest floor. He then heard the “caw” of a crow above him. He looked to the sky and saw a lone crow circling the cottage.

  Beep, beep.

  The horn of the passing bus quickly brought Kieran back. “You kids coming? This is the last bus of the day.”

  Riya looked at her watch and then back to Kieran. “We’ll be there.”

  The bus driver gave them a nod and a salute and then continued up the road.

  “Did you see that?” Kieran’s legs gave out, and he lowered himself to the ground.

  Riya knelt beside him and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the edge of her t-shirt. “I didn’t see anything, Kieran. It looks like you had another vision. You didn’t let go of the mailbox, but you dragged yourself around it, moving your head in every direction—like you were watching something.”

  “I was. I mean, yes, it was a vision. But did you see that shadow pass over us just a second ago?”

  Riya looked around them. “No, I didn’t see anything, Kieran. Sorry.”

  Kieran’s thoughts were still caught up in what he had seen. Then Giuseppe’s words infiltrated his thoughts.

  “Never take anything for granted…everything has a meaning…”

  I have to warn Giuseppe.

  A surge of adrenalin surged through Kieran’s body, from his head straight down to his toes, mobilizing his body toward the covert tree line.

  “Kieran!” Riya called after him. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to warn him,” Kieran’s voice travelled behind him. And without looking back, he crossed to the other side.

  “Be careful…and hurry,” Riya yelled to the flash of light that disappeared as quickly as it came.

  ***

  In a huff of breath, Kieran spat out what he had just seen. He apologized for not having more information, cursing the bus’ horn for cutting his vision short. Giuseppe looked on with guarded apprehension. Kieran knew he had done right by coming back. He repeated the vision again, slower this time, as to ensure he didn’t forget any detail. Kieran knew time was not on his side, yet he felt uneasy about leaving Giuseppe, knowing that something was going to happen. What exactly, he didn’t know—but it couldn’t be good.

  Giuseppe placed a calming hand on Kieran’s shoulder, acknowledging his concern. “Go on, Kieran. I’ll be fine. You’ve been a great help.”

  “But…”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Giuseppe stood a little taller, puffing out his chest. “I’ve been taking care of myself just fine for the last two centuries.” His lips curved to a smile that just barely met his eyes. “Your friend is waiting, and you better catch that bus home if you’re going to make it to camp tomorrow.”

  Kieran’s shoulders sagged. “You’re right.” He turned to leave, but then paused and twisted to look back at Giuseppe. “Please be safe,” Kieran pleaded, and then went on his way.

  Giuseppe stood by the front window and with fear-clouded eyes watched as Kieran navigated through the tree line one last time.

  ***

  “Just in time, kids,” the bus driver pulled on the door lever to close the door of the bus.

  The bus was relatively empty. Only a few other passengers filled the seats just beyond the driver. But Kieran and Riya made their way to the seats at the very back of the bus. Kieran shuffled into a seat by the window, and Riya settled in next to him. Kieran was wiped. He rested his head on the headrest, letting it fall to the side so that he could see out of the window. He watched the trees transform into a green blur as the bus picked up speed. His eyes fell closed, and he was lulled to sleep by the rumble of the bus engine.

  “Rest up. You can fill me in on everything later,” Riya whispered.

  Nineteen

  There’s No Turning Back Now

  KIERAN PICKED THE CREAM coloured paper—with the Diamondbrush Industries letterhead—up off of his bed. He reread the very official letter, signed by Victor Rumsden, explaining that Kieran had been accepted to the esteemed six-week leadership program sponsored by Diamondbrush Industries. Victor apologized for the late notice, as a spot had just become available and Kieran was next on their list. Victor asked that they confirm Kieran’s attendance by phone and have him bring the signed consent form with him the next day, when he reports to their office on Kamfrid Road by two p.m. From there, he will meet up with the other students, and they will all be bussed to where they will be staying for the next six weeks. It was requested that no technological devices, such as cell phones, be brought—as they have been proven to be distractions to the students in the past. But it was assured that Kieran would have contact with his family via the facility’s communication devices during his stay.

  When Kieran and Riya returned home earlier that day, Patti had met them on the doorstep, the letter already in her hand. She was beaming with pride, and it made Kieran’s heart swell—even if not for the right reason. Before they sat down to a farewell dinner, with all o
f Kieran’s favourites, they called Victor together to confirm Kieran’s attendance.

  Kieran had much to do to prepare for his departure the next day. He was relieved that he was able to use this as reason to excuse himself early from the dinner table. The conversation between them had centred on Kieran’s “exciting summer plans”. There were only so many half-truths he could stomach.

  Kieran pulled a small duffel bag down from the top shelf of his closet. He unzipped the bag and propped it open on his bed. He began pulling from his closet shelves and dresser drawers what he thought he would need over the next six weeks, haphazardly throwing things into the bag.

  “What are you doing?” Riya asked when she entered Kieran’s room and saw the mess of clothes piled in his duffel bag. She stood next to Kieran and gave him a little nudge, bringing him out of his trance. She then handed Kieran a double-sided piece of paper she had just pulled from the printer. “You sit and take a read of this. I’ll fix this mess.”

  Kieran followed her instructions and took a seat on the edge of his bed. Riya picked up the duffel and turned it upside down. A small mountain of clothes assembled next to Kieran. She took a t-shirt from the top of the pile, folded it, and neatly placed it back into the duffel bag.

  “Where did you get this?” Kieran raised his eyes to her.

  It was a printout of the article she had found the night before—about the man who had gone missing around the time that Kieran was left at Laken House. The headline read, Nicholas Battley Missing.

  “I found it last night, right before your closet starting crashing down on you. I didn’t have much to go on then…but with your parents’ names now…” She folded a pair of shorts and looked up at Kieran. “I can’t believe it’s only been 24 hours,” she shook her head and reached for another t-shirt.