The Wardens Boxed Set

by Heather D Glidewell

  “We need to wake Angie,” Adam said softly. It was the first time he had spoken since I had entered the room.

  Chapter Eleven: Hijacked

  “OK, one at a time.” My mother rubbed her temples.

  Wesley had woken her up after the hysteria had worn off. She had sprinted into Krista’s room. The look of relief she had on her face was comforting.

  What was she expecting to find when she came in?

  “They know I was Prudence,” I said, not caring that the other girls were in the room.

  Krista looked around guiltily since she had been in on the loop towards the end. Rose and Helen, on the other hand, looked at me with disbelief. They had known there was a plan to alter my appearance but they had no idea what had been done to get me inside. I’m sure hearing that I had portrayed the priestess that they had grown to fear must have been a bit of a shock.

  “How do you know that?” my mother asked, putting her hands on her hips. She squeezed her eyes closed and bit her bottom lip as if she was in thought. “By the way, this conversation does not leave this room.”

  “I looked like her.” I shivered, remembering the reflection in the mirrored blade. I took a labored breath and continued my revelation. “However, when she tackled me it didn’t seem like she was attacking, it was more like she was trying to save me.”

  My mother looked at me, confused.

  “So do they know or not?” she asked.

  “Now I’m not so sure.” I glanced at Wesley, puzzled.

  “I have received no indication that they know you are who you are or not.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at the floor, rethinking his words.

  “I was shot,” I said simply.

  “Well that’s reassuring,” Helen said, cocking her head to the side.

  “Not before I ran her through with my trusty sword.” I smiled. I could almost feel the blade penetrating her flesh.

  “Well there is a plus to that,” Wesley interjected, looking at my mother.

  “If Dawn killed Miranda in the dream she will not attack. That’s just hypothesizing that she saw the dream in the first place.” My mother had an eerie smile spread across her cheeks.

  “What are you two conspiring?” I asked, aware that everyone was staring at me.

  My mother looked at me, ready to speak, when she was cut off.

  “You were the priestess?” Helen asked, her eyes wide. “Nick said the priestess would be the death of us.”

  “I don’t think now is the time,” I said, wishing I had never mentioned Prudence in the first place.

  “I think it is the perfect time,” Adam said, his eyes wide.

  “No it really isn’t,” I groaned. “I promise I will tell you all everything, but right now we have far more pressing issues. She’s about five six with red hair and she’s evil as hell.”

  “Dawn is right. The whole Prudence deal is a long conversation, one that we do not need to dive into right now,” my mother said, rubbing her temples.

  “What was your dream?” I asked, looking at Rose, pleading. She was the only one that didn’t seem surprised by the revelation.

  “I was on the battlefield. A man charged me but I was able to kill him with a spear jab but not before a bullet penetrated my head.” She looked at my mother and frowned. “Looks like we have a running plotline here.”

  “OK.” My mother sighed. “Krista?”

  “It was John. It’s always John. He was standing over me, his fingers blazing blue, when I was able to take him out with a strong wind. He was impaled on a tree.” She looked around the room and rolled her eyes. “I had turned to face whomever was behind me when a sharp pain shot through my head. I was shot too.”

  “Helen?” Mom asked, rolling her eyes.

  “A woman. Blonde hair that hung to her waist, she comes at me but I move out of the way as she reaches for me. With a quick jab, I am able to stab her in the back but not before I hear a loud crack of thunder and a piercing pain shoots through my temple. I assume like everyone else I was shot.” She looks down at the ground, her wings still held tightly to her back.

  “Well. I wonder who put the warning shots in your dreams.” Mom said, looking at the four of us and shrugging.

  “Might be something the blessed ones have worked up,” Adam said, not making eye contact with anyone.

  “Never underestimate the cursed ones. Dark magic could have done the same thing. Either way, it was a good way of saying that someone was trying to hijack your dreams,” Mom pointed out. “Anyway, it’s over now. Do you boys mind staying with them? I can have Shawn come upstairs as well. The three of you and the power you all emit, along with the girls, should keep any intruders out.”

  “Yeah. I will get some blankets,” Adam said, leaving the room.

  “I will go and talk to your father. I’m sure Mona is going to love me pulling him out of bed at this hour.” She rolled her eyes then, one by one, kissed each of us on the forehead. She said a few words in Italian and smiled. “I have faith that you will be able to rest. Come morning we have festivities to see to.”

  Once my mother was out of the room all three girls turned their focus on me.

  “I knew something was up,” Helen pointed out, tucking her wings in their little imaginary pouch.

  “I didn’t mean to mislead you guys. It’s just things weren’t going so well here,” I sighed.

  “So you decided to flip sides?” Helen bit at me, pulling away from my touch and walking to the other side of the room.

  “She didn’t flip sides,” Wesley said, his eyes flaring red. “She came to rescue me. She just got more out of it than she bargained for.”

  “Wesley …,” I started, but he cut me off.

  “NO, DAWN! I have sat idly by watching everything going on around here. I have heard the things that people say, the stories they were told. The priestess was powerful, yes. She could turn water to blood, aspirin to painkillers and antibiotics, even create an oasis out of nature itself. I watched her, I felt for her. I saw when John threw himself at her it took everything in her power not to smite him.” Wesley’s voice was booming through the room. “All she wanted to do was save me. At the same time, she saved others. People like the ones in the field. Blessed ones, cursed ones, hybrids, purebloods, anything you could possibly imagine.”

  He wasn’t going to stop; he had so much pitted up inside of him. His eyes were frightening me. The color was so deep and red that it made my heart melt. I had no idea the passion that was bottled up inside of him. With all his egotistical comments I had pushed his emotions and feelings to the side.

  “She did all of this for you. For the three of you. She put herself out there so that she could make sure that you were safe. The reapers, they helped me by transporting my art to her. The little pieces of paper that I had kept hidden from Miranda’s sight. Those little shards of the images I had of her. She came for me, because without me she knew that you would be beaten. Your prophet told you incorrect information intentionally. To rip you apart!”

  “Wesley you don’t have to …” I put my arms around him to calm him and he buried his face in my hair.

  “They don’t understand. All they see are the superficial things. Why is one better than the other?” He whispered in my ear but I knew they heard. I could tell by the silence in the room that they were lost in thought.

  “I didn’t realize,” Helen said softly, running her fingers through her long brown hair. “I’m sorry.”

  “I thought I had lost you,” he sighed into my neck. “I felt that bullet tear through my head when they shot you. I felt every inch of your body go lifeless.”

  “Who shot you?” Rose asked.

  “I don’t know. Mona said it had to be done though. The death of Prudence meant that I could return as Dawn,” I said, rubbing Wesley’s back, comforting him.

  “Of course, my mother would be behind this,” Rose laughed. “I suppose the whole thing was her idea.”r />
  “She wasn’t alone. She was just the deciding factor. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t know how to do half the things that I can do now.” I didn’t want to talk any more.

  I heard footsteps enter the room and looked towards Shawn and Adam, their arms weighed down with thick comforters and pillows. Adam had managed to find a shirt to cover his torso and Shawn looked like he was about to kill someone for waking him up.

  “Dawn, you and Wesley take the far right corner, the couch folds out. Rose and Adam take the far left, take the mattress from Rose’s bed. Krista, I have Marshall joining us, you will take the front right corner, you can stay on your bed. Helen, you and I will take the trundle by the door,” Shawn said as politely as he could. I didn’t like being paired with Wesley, even with Adam in the room. “Ladies, please do not mistake this for matchmaking. I based it on the powers you possess and the abilities we men have.”

  Everyone moved in the direction that they were told to and we all sat there in our respective corners just staring at each other. Adam and Wesley put their issues aside long enough to get the mattress from Rose’s room and set up the couch bed. The room seemed larger than it had when I was in here last. I knew that the house adjusted to the number of people inside. It might have looked small to some but it was enough for us.

  “There are only five hours till morning. I suggest we sleep. I don’t mean to sound crass, ladies, but the only way we can block the hijacker is to actually have contact with you. So hold hands, spoon, hook arms, or cuddle. I don’t care. I’m just as tired as you. So let’s just get some sleep.” Shawn snapped his fingers and the light went out.

  I laid down next to Wesley and felt his fingers fold into mine as they had so many nights before. I could feel eyes on me. I glanced across the room. Adam was staring at me with intensity, the moon illuminating his face. His eyes were stern, his jaw set. He wrapped his arms around Rose and pulled her close to him, kissing her briefly on the top of the head before nestling into his pillow and closing his eyes.

  “You love him,” Wesley said softly so that nobody could hear.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, turning my face to look at him.

  “Nothing,” Wesley said, scooting closer to me. I allowed him to place his arm over my body and bury his face into my neck as he had in the past.

  I fell asleep quickly and, unlike the last episode, I didn’t wake again until morning.

  ***

  I slept like a log. When I woke up Wesley and I were the only two left in the room. I rolled on my side and smiled at the sight. Even in his current anomalous state, he was quite handsome when he was sleeping.

  “Good morning, birthday girl,” I heard him say groggily.

  “Same to you, birthday boy,” I groaned.

  Why did he have to remind me?

  “Who would have thought we would share the same date of birth,” he chuckled to himself and opened his eyes. They were orange today, well at least for a second, until they settled to their beautiful blue.

  “How long you been awake?” I asked, wanting to roll out of bed and plant my feet firmly on the floor.

  “For a while. I just laid here and watched you breathe.” He smiled at me. “I forgot how beautiful you are when you are sleeping.”

  “As opposed to any other time,” I laughed. He gave me a stern look and I stuck out my bottom lip in a pout.

  “No. I have yet to find a single thing you are not beautiful at.” He stretched.

  “I don’t want to get up,” I groaned, stretching as well.

  “Your mom has the whole day planned. I don’t think that Miranda or John could do anything to stop her from celebrating today. Just don’t get mad at her when you see what she got you, because I helped.” He brushed a strand of black hair from my face.

  “Great,” I groaned. “You think if we stay in here all day she will notice?”

  “Yes, I think she will.” I heard an annoyed voice and glanced towards the door where my mother stood. “It’s time for my two special people to get up. We have one hell of a day for you.”

  “Does it involve roasting redheads for lunch?” I asked, stretching again my toes, pointing painfully towards the door.

  “Dear me, Dawn, you are going to be the death of me at this rate.” My mom rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air before turning and leaving the room. “Be downstairs in five minutes.”

  “You think she’s serious?” I asked, looking at him and smiling.

  “About as serious as a heart attack,” he said, crawling up and out of the bed. I didn’t even notice the way the shirt clung to his body. He was always a thin boy but now it was almost saddening to see what the camp had done to him.

  I could see the faint outlines of the scars that Mona had been talking about peeking from under the short sleeves of his shirt. Several sets of pinprick marks lined the sides of his neck. I had to stop the desire to investigate each and every mark. My heart was melting. Emotions came flooding back to me and I fought to regain control. I had been so blind by what was happening in that camp I hadn’t thought to make sure nothing had been done to him.

  Yes, I love him still. No, I will not become what he claims I am. I must be strong.

  “They don’t hurt,” he said, noticing me watch him.

  “Pardon me?” I said, shooting my eyes across the room.

  “It was when I was unconscious,” he explained as I pulled myself to a standing position and helped him to put the couch bed back into its hole.

  “I saw you, though.” I wrapped my arms around myself and sighed. “I saw you.”

  “We spent one night together. Even then you were so tired your vision was clouded. Not to mention it was some pretty poor lighting in that tent. Better than most but not near perfect.” He walked up to me, taking my face in his hands. “You didn’t know.”

  “Sort of puts a damper onto our plans,” I laughed, feeling my eyes swell with tears.

  “Only temporarily. We will figure this out.” He hugged me close and I wrapped my arms around him. Why was he making me so weak?

  “You blamed me,” I sobbed into his chest as he caressed my back.

  “I know,” he said simply. I felt his cheek warm on the top of my head.

  “Did you mean it?” I asked.

  “No.” His voice was quiet but sincere. “I don’t know what I thought in the beginning. I didn’t know who those creatures were attacking everyone. I would defend Miranda, yes, but only so far.”

  “After all she did to you. You still feel some loyalty to her?” I asked, the tears stopping.

  “No. Not loyalty. If it had not been for her, John would have killed me himself. The only thing stopping him was Miranda’s experiments.” Wesley let me go. “We can talk about this later. Today is a good day.”

  Chapter Twelve: Happy Nineteenth

  After I had taken some time to get dressed and do my makeup, I let Wesley take my hand and lead me down the stairs and through the house to the back yard. As soon as we opened the door we were pushed back by the number of people waiting for our grand entrance. My mother stood proudly, her face glowing. She took a step towards us and took Wesley’s hand in hers, leading him through the crowd. In response he pulled me with him, looking over his shoulder, confused.

  “Today is a celebration of life.” She began speaking loudly as she turned to face the crowd. “Nineteen years ago today I gave birth to my miracle child. On that same day, at exactly the same time, my dear friend Greta gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Today we do not think of the threat heading our way. Today we celebrate life, their lives.” The crowd roared and she looked at us.

  “I couldn’t do much but I did what I could with what we had.” She moved her hands around her. “When you were a little girl you loved the carnival. With the girls’ help and the assistance of the people here we were able to create a little bit of that childhood magic.”

  “We have a rotating shift today, c
overing Harrisville and the land. Do not worry about anything; if she is going to attack today we will know in advance,” my father said as he appeared beside my mother. I rubbed my nose to avoid the smell of sulfur in the air.

  “I also have a surprise for you, Wesley.” She took his hand again and looked at my father with fondness. I heard the music come alive behind us as well as laughter and conversation. Even when things were at their possible worst these people took the time to celebrate something as minuscule as a birthday.

  Mom led us through the trees and into a tiny opening in the center. I saw a bright light in the corner of the space and a woman appeared. I knew her face but her name was evading me. I felt Wesley stiffen, his hand squeezing tightly onto mine. His shoulders shook as horrific sobs erupted from his throat.

  The woman stepped closer and reached out her arms, waiting for him to enter them. He let me go with a hesitancy and ran into them, sobbing on her shoulder. I finally realized who she was. My breath caught in my chest as the amazement of his mother’s presence made my eyes sting.

  “How did you do it?” I asked my mother as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze.

  “I pulled a few strings. Talked to a few old friends. Ramiel helped me quite a bit,” she smiled. “His sister and father will be here as well but I wanted these two to have a moment. It’s been nearly three years you know.”

  “How long will she be here?” I asked softly. She had her hands on his face now and was covering him with kisses.

  “For the day. It was the most I could get for them. God is not always so willing to allow one of his souls to return to earth. Not without being reborn I should say.” My mother smiled and looked towards the other side of the trees. I could hear the sound of the helicopter. The other part of the present must be here.

  “Do they know?” I felt my mother pulling on me as she dragged me through the trees again towards the sound.

  “They know enough. Melissa may be confused but Greg knows.” We stood at the edge of the trees as Greg and his daughter were helped out of the back, Melissa with her bags flung over her shoulder and Greg with his jumbled behind him.