Rise of Xavia

by Tara Chau

  “Who is Juno?” I ask.

  “He was an ancient Warlock who gifted one human with very specific powers. They were given to a woman who had saved his life and was accidentally passed down generation after generation.” She breathes a steady breath, “The powers caught the attention of the Angels, and the two species rallied together.”

  “Do you think Dyla and Juno will show me mercy? I’m not even a real Protector. I only just found out about all this stuff.” I confess.

  “You and the great Angel are connected.” her voice echoes.

  “What?” I say breathlessly. “How? I don’t understand. Being connected to an Angel has to be impossible.”

  “Once you have spent more time in our world, you will learn that nothing is impossible.” She says patiently.

  “But I don’t want to be part of this world, and I don’t believe in any of this nonsense.” I stutter, looking around the barren scapes.

  A sound so loud and painful explodes from out of nowhere. The sky turns blood red as the ground rumbles and starts to crack. A shiver of fear runs down my spine and into the earth. I shudder as my knees buckle. As I fall to the ground, I shout.

  “What’s happening?”

  “You have angered a great force. Your disbelief in our lives has changed the will of many. If you cannot find faith, then ours will be revoked, too. You will be left. You will be destroyed. And therefore us.” She says softly, her quiet anger much more terrifying than the crumbling earth.

  “No-no-no. I take it back. I believe you. I do.” I hear myself chant desperately.

  The ground splits, and I can feel myself falling down into the middle of the earth. I don’t scream, and I don’t cry. All I feel is empty. I have failed a whole race and might have just destroyed an entire world. I feel hollow. The only thing I feel is fear and the tingling sensation of falling.

  * * *

  I wake panting and sweaty. Sitting up, I wipe away the sweat that contaminates my forehead and stare at the bare wall in front of me, trying to calm down. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Was it just a dream? It connected to everything that Ty had told me, but for some reason, Ty skipped out on mentioning that I am connected to an Angel. Typical.

  I decide that I’m not going to fall asleep again tonight. Looking at the clock, my eyes settle on the four and the three and the one. I sigh.

  As my feet slip onto the cold floorboards, I realise how real the dream had felt; it was like I was momentarily transported to another realm of reality. But it couldn’t have been real. I tip-toe over to the balcony doors and draw the curtains back an inch, desperate for any kind of relief.

  The sky is a pale purple with a faint sliver of light skimming the horizon, only a few stars are left in the sky, and the moon is nowhere to be seen. Something in the back of my mind smiles and glows at the sight of this beautiful scene before me. I could paint it. I could attempt to capture the pure stillness and purity of the world at this time, except for the burning concern and fear within my chest, calling for my attention with insistent shouts.

  I take a deep breath and step away from the window. Crossing my room to pick up my laptop, I perch on the edge of my bed. I’m already awake, so I may as well do a little bit of research. I open my laptop and type in: Angels.

  Scrolling down and down to the bottom of the page. I then click on a link that says: Angels are magical beings.

  Angels are said to be messengers of God. A spiritual and divine being with wings of light and amazing gifts. Angels can save and rescue as well as destroy and abandon. They are light and power, and they can heal us and guide us.

  So how can Protectors be connected to them? And if we have ancient Warlock power within us, how can the whole race be connected to the Angels. And most importantly, how am I a Protector?

  I don’t think anything on the internet is going to tell me about Protectors and Angel blood and all that stuff. Oh god, I realise, I might have to go talk to Ty. An image of Ty pops into my head, and to my intense horror, a stupid grin appears on my face. What the hell? What is it with him? He’s tall, has swoopy blond hair, blue eyes, and an extremely irritating smile. He has a scar across the edge of his left eye that I like, and it makes him seem less perfect but somehow more mysterious.

  Stop it, Dianna. He’s just a boy, yells my conscience. I decide to look up some self-defence lessons on YouTube to occupy my easily distracted mind. I click on Master Wong’s Self Defence Techniques and connect the sound to my Bluetooth headphones as I make space in the middle of my room. Positioning myself in the correct pose, as the man instructs, I breathe deeply. Feet shoulder-width apart and fists up to protect my face. His first instruction is telling me to slowly extend my front hand, to steadily turn my wrist just before I meet my target, allowing the full force of my body to drive my attack.

  “When someone leans in to punch you, you put your forearm up in front of your face to shield yourself.” The man demonstrates.

  Okay, I think I’m getting this; he shows me a few extra moves, and I copy them with swift accuracy. Two hours later, I slowly crawl over to my bed and collapse, finally tired enough to fall asleep without the image of our worlds end in my mind. A few minutes later, I’m drifting off, leaving the slightly aching throb of my body behind me.

  I wake up to the sound of a loud zap! Blinking several times, I attempt to remove the gunk and sleep from my eyes. Sitting up slowly, I glance over at the clock. Ten. The ear-piercing sound comes again but louder and way more obnoxious. Suddenly, to my dismay, the door bursts open, and the sound becomes familiar to my ears.

  “Wakey, Wakey eggs, and bakey, I’ve made you breaky.” My dad calls, yelling over that sharp, grinding sound.

  “What are you doing?” I yell, “What is that sound?”

  Glancing down at the floor, I realise that the horrible sound is the vacuum cleaner. What? Since when does my dad vacuum?

  “Since when do you vacuum?” I shout, voicing my thoughts.

  “Since it was almost impossible to wake you up!” he turns off the cleaner and sits on the edge of the bed.

  “Sorry, I had a…weird dream, and I couldn’t sleep. I will get up now.”

  Ripping off the sheets, I jump off the bed. My knees instantly give out, making me fall non-gracefully to the floor. My dad looks down at me and laughs.

  “How very lady-like of you. Come on, Di, let’s go.” He gets up and leaves the room dramatically.

  Damn it. I underestimated how sore my body would be. Due to practising the self-defence moves this morning, my arms groan as I extend them in a stretch. Well, at least I learned some valuable stuff, like how to throw a punch and how to block one. Maybe I can get real lessons soon?

  I rise slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. I am standing, step one complete. Now to master walking, one foot in front of the other, one, two, three. Now I’m walking down the hall, mission accomplished. I can now walk and stand without collapsing. Making my way into the kitchen, I can smell eggs and the salty smell of fried bacon. Strolling over to the bench, I make a roll with butter. Eggs, bacon, salt, and pepper are then piled on. Yum.

  “Aren’t you going to sit outside today?” dad asks, collapsing into a chair with his mug of liquid sanity.

  “No. I have things to do, so I’m just gonna have a quick breaky and go.” I reply hastily.

  “Okay, you’re going to office works, I’m guessing? Do me a favour? Take Ty with you, and you don’t know the city that well yet. He does. I don’t want you getting lost.” He lectures. Seeing my questioning expression, he sighs. “I’ve spoken to his mother. She is sensible and assures that Ty is too. I trust the boy to get you around safely while you have no other friends.”

  I’m about to protest when I remember that I have to talk to him anyway. So instead, I just nod and pretend to act all upset when I’m actually excited to spend the day with Ty again. I groan inwardly at my own thoughts.

  With everything happening r
ight now, with all the Angels and demons, I still manage to get excited about spending the day with a boy. Unbelievable.

  Quickly finishing up my breakfast, I say goodbye to dad and rush up the hall to get dressed. Opening my closet, I realise that I really need to buy some new clothes. I had to throw most of my nice clothing away before the move as most of them were just because I liked them. Not necessities. I look through my clothes and end up picking out a nice floral crop top and some denim jeans. Yeah, that will do. I go to pack my bag. Some money, my keys, water, lip-gloss, and my phone. As I make my way down the stairs again, I put an apple in there as well. Sliding into a warm sweater on the way out, I open the back door and closing it behind me, making my way over to the far fence.

  “Ty? Hello?”

  I wait about a good two minutes until I spot him walk out his back door and come to stand in front of me.

  “You called?” he says, damn that grin.

  “Yes, I did. Why I did it, I have no idea.” I grumble.

  “Well, it’s nice to see you anyway. You’re looking very good today, I might add.” He says smartly.

  “Drop the act.” I frown, “Or I’ll just go find someone else to help me.”

  “Oh no, I will be on my best behaviour from now on,” Ty states sarcastically.

  Turning around on my heels, I start marching back to the house. I know that he will call me back, he’s a boy and a very annoying one. But curiosity will overcome him. He will start calling me back and want to know why I need his help. Three, two, one.

  “Wait.” He calls, “I promise that I will not be annoying for the rest of the time I’m with you.”

  I slowly turn around and give him the most dazzling smile that I can muster.

  “You shouldn’t make promises that you can’t keep,” I say sweetly.

  He gives me a low chuckle and another wonky smile. “Your right. How very rude of me. Now, what is it that you need help with?”

  “We should go inside, or somewhere we don’t have to communicate through a fence,” I say casually.

  “Okay.” He shrugs. “If we must. Where were you thinking of?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit.

  “Well, in that case, we can go into my Guy Den,” he says.

  “Is that really the only place you can think of?”

  “Yep, now jump over the fence.” He says.

  “Are you crazy? It’s taller than me. I’m standing on my tip toes here.” I say with desperate wide eyes.

  “It’s okay, and I’ll catch you. Just get onto the fence and then jump. All you have to do is trust me.”

  “I’m gonna die, aren’t I?” I sigh defeatedly.

  “A little trust would be appreciated,” he says sarcastically.

  I jump up onto the fence, wincing as my body slams into it, making a big bang, my arms wobbling. Finally getting a perch on the fence, I look down at Ty. His arms are out, ready to catch me. He laughs and nods as if to say he’s ready. Then he winks at me, and my insides twist. I jump down, and for a few brief seconds, I’m falling. Then I can feel his arms around my waist, catching me as I land. His arms are sturdy, and his chest warm. I lean into him without thinking, bristling to hear his soft laugh.

  “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  I shove him away, realising that I am still wrapped in his arms. He laughs again, low and smooth.

  “Should we go? Or are you happy to just stay here?” he teases.

  I slap his arm hard and inwardly laugh. A bright red slap mark appears on his arm instantly, but the sting of my hand also brings me back to reality. I walk off into the garden so Ty won’t see my blushing face, cursing the phantom weight of his arms around me, making me feel warm and fuzzy.

  “Where are you going?” I hear Ty call after me.

  “Going to your “Guy Den”, where else would I be going?” I snap so that he couldn’t hear the shake of my voice.

  “You don’t know where that is.” He states.

  I stop. Crap, so much for my dramatic exit. Turning around to look at him, I try hard to make the blushing of my face disappear. It doesn’t work. Realising that I am still staring at him, I avert my eyes to look just past his shoulder.

  “Come on, and I’ll show you where it is.” He motions for me to continue walking.

  I involuntarily turn around and continue to walk in the direction he motions to. Making my way toward the far side of his garden, I take in the sweet smell of honeysuckle and see the blossoming flowers, the simple yet stunning way the grass shines and is cut to a perfect length. With Ty following close behind, I can feel his warm breath hitting the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine. He places his hand on my shoulder unexpectantly. I yelp and pull back, only realising my mistake as it is carried through. Colour flows once again into my cheeks, making me gape at myself. At this rate, I may as well stay red permanently.

  “Sorry, I forgot how easy you scare.” He admits quietly.

  “For your information, I do not. You’re just extremely obnoxious.” I reply, trying to hide my extreme embarrassment.

  “Anyway, it’s this way.” He leads me over to a door in the brick wall of his amazing house.

  Ty pulls out a small circular thing. With closer inspection, I realise that it’s a metal compass of sorts. It is about the size of my palm and has a small symbol of three souring birds etched into the top. The compass is about as thick as my thumb but seems to change depending on which angle you look at it.

  Ty holds it against the door, pushing his palm firmly against it, the plain side down. A soft click vibrates through the door. He pulls it open and nods at me, allowing me to go first.

  Making my way down a dimly lit staircase into the familiar den, Ty comes to a stop beside me. I walk over to a chair placed randomly against the wall. Ty drags a blue-spotted bean bag and sits in front of me.

  “What is that?” I point towards the compass-looking item.

  “This?” He holds up the compass, seeming to peer at it with equal fascination. “Oh, this is called a Sterling. Sterling’s are used to print signums which is the thing you saw me imprint into the door. Signum means symbol in Latin. Latin is the ancient language of the Protectors. Each signum has a different use.” Ty takes a big breath before continuing to speak, “The one that you saw me use was an opening signum. The door only opens if that signum is burned into it.” He says casually.

  The word signum seems familiar somehow. I could have sworn that I’ve heard it before. Oh, come on! It’s on the tip of my tongue.

  “Dyla!” I yell, “That’s where I heard it from. I knew that I had heard of signums before!”

  Ty looks up at me in shock. His eyes spark with curiosity and worry.

  “Where did you find out about Dyla? She is the Protector’s Angel. She shouldn’t have been mentioned in anything on the internet.” He says, completely baffled.

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I say quietly.

  Ty’s face perfectly portrayed my father’s face when he knows somethings wrong but doesn’t know what. When dad doesn’t know something important, he instantly prepares himself for the worst. That is the face that Ty is making now, I know all too well.

  “I had another dream.” I say, “and I destroy the world.”

  * * *

  Ty and I stare at each other for what seemed like hours. I expect him to pull away in disgust, expect his face to show a whole film of emotions. Anger, hatred, fear, even betrayal. For some reason, he just sits there, like he’s trying to figure out what to think of all this. What to think of me?

  I can’t read his expression, so I don’t know what he’s thinking. This causes my breath to begin shallowing and my palms to sweat. Ty continues to sit there, content to remain staring, his face completely blank, slowly adding to my anxiety. Then all of a sudden, his expression changes.

  “Are you okay?” Ty asks worryingly. “You look like you’re going to cry. What�
��s wrong, Di?”

  Huh? What kind of reaction is that? He should be yelling and telling me to get the hell out of his life, not asking me if I’m okay. I continue to look at him. Now I can read his face. A genuinely worried look is firmly plastered to it, moulded into something unfamiliar. But why is he so worried about me? I just told him that I dream of killing the world. I can’t stand it anymore. I stand up, only to then knock over the chair I was sitting on. It makes a big bang that rattles through my body.

  “Aren’t you going to scream at me? Tell me to go to hell? Why are you so nice to me? I’m going to become a killer. I’m going to destroy everything.” I stutter, tears trickling down my cheeks as I’m overcome with an amount of confusion and apprehension my body can’t express calmly.

  Ty stands up and walks over to me, wrapping his arms tightly around my body. He strokes my hair. His attempt to comfort me causes my tears to double, causes my shoulders to cave.

  Oh god, I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve comforting. I shouldn’t be wrapped in comforting arms; I should be wrapped in chains and held in the most remote and secretive jail ever known to the Protectors. No one should be able to visit me. Not dad, not Ty or anyone. Call me dramatic, but I think the circumstances give me a good reason to be.

  Dad. What am I going to tell dad?

  “Oh, hey, dad, I just wanted to say that I love you, but now I have to go and live in a super-secret base for the rest of my life.”

  Ty’s voice cuts through my train of thought. “Dianna, you can stop crying. It’s okay.” He says softly.

  I draw back a few steps and glare at him. Is he crazy? How is any of this okay?

  “What do you mean it’s okay?” I put lots of emphasis into the last word.

  “Dianna.” He says calmly, “it was just a dream. You are not a bad person. Remember that you’ll have to keep reminding yourself if you’re going to work with the Protectors. It was only a dream. I don’t care what you dreamed about, and you are a good person. We don’t even know if your dreams are real. Even if it’s true, I won’t let you do anything to harm any creature or human, ever. I’ll protect everyone, including you.”