by J. B. Garcia
“Well, He rounded them up in the Great Hall and murdered them all. Men, women and he even went to their homes where their children were and murdered them also. It was an awful day and the whole Realm mourned. He had most of the subject convinced that it was for the greater good and that they had a plan to overthrow him. I never believe it and Renee had a hard time being around him after that. She told that is when she knew that she had to give up her life the save the lives of billions of people. Not only the people in our Realm but the Human Race as well.” I look to my mother whose face has drained of all its color. She swallows deeply, “Does Khan know that I am a Pyros?” She squints her eyes and looks up the the ceiling racking her brain, “I really don’t know. Since Renee has been gone I don’t get to hear very much monarchy dirt.” She looks around the room and then down the hall, “Where is Travis we must get him.” I point down the hall and she runs down it. I can’t believe that Khan killed all those people just for his own security. He has gone mad with power and now I feel compelled to stop him. “Travis why are you sleeping in the middle of the day!” I hear Asclepius yelling at him in my room. I don’t hear Travis respond just the door closing and both of them walking down the hall. He is trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes and Asclepius is skipping behind him. “Now that we are all awake I think that we do something together.” Denise’s bedroom door opens and she walks out. Asclepius turns and sees Denise standing in the hallway and spits venom in her direction, “What are you doing here traitor? The woman who would defile her own Queens wishes just to be on the Court.” Denise starts to back away from all of us. Denise still has no idea that we already know that she was trading information with Khan to gain a spot with the Royal Court, Denise looks to Travis with dread on her face. She just made progress with him after all this crap started and now she thinks that everything is going to be ruined. “Travis please I can explain..!” Travis raises his hand to her, “Mom stop. We already know. You were helping Khan we have known the whole time.” She looks so confused its almost amusing. “How could you possibly know that?” Travis lets out a deep breath, “Dad was here and he told us...” She begins to get angry at hearing this. “I can’t believe he knew too...Well if it is any consolation I do not plan to aid him any further.” Asclepius chimes in, “Well it doesn't make much of a difference anyways you know the awakening is tomorrow. It is a good thing that you changed your mind because Khan was not going to let you live past tomorrow anyways.” The air goes stiff and everyone stands still waiting for Denise to respond. She looks to the ground and rubs her hands together. “I dont know why I thought he would have mercy on me. I have been such a fool...Travis can you ever forgive me?”
Travis walks to her placing his arms gently around her and hugging her tightly. A sob escapes her lip and she looks up to me with tears in her eyes. “I am sorry Niki. for so many years I have thought of only myself and it is time that I change.” She lets go of Travis who has also began to cry. I can’t stand to see him like this but at the same time I feel joy for him. I know what it feels like to have to a difficult relationship with your mother and the moment I am watching in front of me reminds me of the changes my mom and I had. I am happy that he gets to have this reconnection. Denise starts to walk towards me. Fear jumps through me out if instinct. I really don't know if I can trust her but at this point I have no choice. The floor creak as she stops in front of me. “I hope that you believe when I say that I am truly sorry and for this moment forward I stand with you, not against.” Slowly I feel the fear dissipate and I get the burning sensation of tears welling up in my eyes. I quickly wrap my arms around her shoulder and for a moment she is still. I feel her arms slowly reach up around my waist and then the quick stab of cold steel through the back of my rib cage. Pain rips through me and my body crumbles. She holds onto me whispering in my ear, “Long live the Queen.” I can hear my mother screaming as I drop to the floor. Warm liquid puddles around my back and I quickly realize that it’s my own blood. Time seems to be running in slow motion as Travis runs towards me and my mother falls to her knees. Asclepius in at my side before Travis can even reach me. All I can hear is the chants from Asclepius but the words mean nothing to me. Travis sits, sobing in front of me as my vision begins to blur. Then...complete darkness.
I feel nothing, no pain, no fear...nothing. I stretch my arms out trying to feel anything at all but all I can feel is emptiness. slowly I begin to move my legs and the same sensation coats my whole body. I realize that I am floating in midair. I couldn't be dead could I? Could Denise of really done such a thing. She has a soul that is past saving. A bright light begins to illuminated in the distance. As it gets brighter it changes from a silvery haze to an emerald green. I reach out towards it and the light burst into a glittery explosion. Every color of green has covered my body and I begin to hear a far off cry. The sounds begins to get louder and my chest begins to pull towards it. The voice comes into to focus for a brief moment and I realize that its the voice of Asclepius and within seconds I am back lying on the entryway floor. Everyone one around me is silent. Travis begins to reach towards me. His hands shaking and his face covered with tears. “Niki, are you with us?” I nod my head yes and my mother sobs break through the silence. Travis grabs my arm and pulls me into his chest. I wrap my arms around him and the tears begin to fall down my cheeks. I feel pressure on my back and Asclepius has hurried over and wrapped her arms around us both. My mother is right after her, flailing her arms around us and we all just sit enjoying the relief.
I am the first to pull away, looking around the room for Denise. I see a bloody heap of what was onceDenise.Her body lies on it side and her face is turned away from me. Her grey tank top is ripped and bloodied down the back. I see a huge gash up her back and it’s pouring blood all over the floor. There is a heavy metallic taste in the air and my stomach begins to turn. This is not something that I am accustomed to seeing and honestly it’s too much for me to handle. I scrambled to my feet and turn, running out the front down and into the woods. My feet beat against the forest floor as I get further from the house. I hear Travis in the distance calling for me to stop. I need to be alone right now. I thought that I would be able to handle this sort if thing since I have no choice but to watch as Khan and Travis battle for the throne, but seeing it in real time was much more than I expected. How am I going to be able to do this. My legs begin to burn as I whip past redwoods and fallen bratchen scratch my legs. A small twig catches the top and my foot and I come to a crashing stop. I hit the ground like a freight train smashing a truck stuck on the tracks. Pain shoots through my ankle and my wrist snaps on the dirt as I try to catch myself. I scream out in pain and try not to move.
I look up into the trees and see an owl sitting on a high branch directly above me. Ares? The moment I think this, it extends its wings and flys off into the distant trees. I lie there trying to figure out what I am going to do when I hear in the distant, sounds of breaking twigs and bushes being crushed. “Niki!! Where are you!” Travis comes racing through the woods faster than I have ever seen anyone move. The air has been knocked out of me so severely that I cannot yell. I raise my arm into the air and he catches sight of it instantly. He turns towards me and in a split second he is at my side. He slides his arms under the back of my neck and legs carrying me bridal style. He begins to speed through the forest and the trees being to blur together into a brown-green painting. If I wasn't in so much pain, I would be enjoying it.
He gets me back to the house in no time at all. Asclepius is standing on the porch with her hands on her hips and tapping her toe on the deck. “What was that all about!? Now I have to heal you all over again and i'm tired!” I can’t help but giggle at her anger. Travis walks up the steps and places me on the porch swing, Asclepius stomps over to me and kneels down at my side. She looks to my face as she rubs her hands together, “I can tell and you are going to need me a lot.” I smile down to her and she looks away. She opens her hands and the same emerald green is pulsing in her
palms. She places one hand on my wrist and the other on my ankle. I get instant relief and the pain slowly begins to subside. She looks down to me and says, “Here comes the painful part are you ready.” I look up at her, “Wait? What?” She makes a quick flick of both her wrists and my bone snap back into place. An instance of the most intense pain I have ever felt rushes through me and then dissipates. She removes her hand and gets to her feet,”Please be more careful Queen. Now please explain what happened?!” I catch my breath and push by self up. I look to Travis who is standing with a blank expression on his face. “I saw...her laying on the ground… there was blood every where. I just couldn’t handle it.” I look to the ground feeling ashamed of saying this in front of Travis. I can't believe how selfish I am being. Travis just killed his own mother and I freak out over just seeing her in a bloodied mess on the ground. I get up and walk to Travis. I place my hands on his biceps and feel his muscles tense up. “Are you ok?” He looks to the ground and then back to me. “I will be ok.” I release him and give him some space. I turn to Asclepius and ask, “What happened after I blacked out?” She looks to my mother who is standing in the doorway of the house. I look to her and she looks as if she is going to vomit. “Mom are you ok?” She brings her hand from behind her back and its covered in blood. “Mom...is that from Denise.” She looks to her hand and back to me.”I couldn't let Travis do it...I couldn’t.” I run to her and wrap my arms around her tightly. There are no tears...no words...just silence. I look over my mother's shoulder and I see Denise beginning to stir as her body begins to heal itself. “Travis...she is moving!” My mother releases me and rushes to Denise. Grabbing her by the arm she begins to drag her from the house. A thick trail of crimson follows them out of the house and down the deck steps. Her head bangs on the step as mom drags her to the front of the cars. She drops Denises arm to the ground and turns to us, “Go inside! All of you!” We all stay where we are trying to let her know that she doesn't have to be alone during this. She turns her palms up and smoke begins to pour out from them. With a flick of her wrist a ball of flames ignites. She thrusts the the flame towards us and it hits just in front of our feet. “Move! NOW!” We all turn and rush into the house slamming the door. All three of us rush to the front window watching my mom circle Denise as she lays beaten on the ground. The flames ignite in her palms again but this time and flames travel up her arms, and to her shoulders. Her mouth is moving but we cannot hear what she is saying. She lifts her hands into the air thrusting them down towards Denise with force. The flames change from a orangish red to a cobalt blue. She raised her head to the sky and screams out. It only last for a few seconds and then she falls to the ground. We rush out to her and pull her away from Denise’s burning corpse. The smell is enough to make anyone vomit and I get mighty close to it. Travis picks my mom up bridal style and carries her into the house. We all follow him back up the steps. I turn back to look at Denise and there is nothing to be found but a pile of ashes. A strong gust of wind rips through the woods and spreads her ashes across the sand. I wish that it didn't have to come to this. I was really hoping that the moment we all had with her would last. But it just goes to show that there was really nothing that we could do to save her. I just hope that Travis can recover from watching his mother go up in flames.
The storm we all were dreading looms over the lake. The sun has began to set, the sky is painted with purples and pinks. I sit on the large rocks on the edge of the lake just listening to the water lap against the stones. The summer breeze is no longer warm on the skin and the fear that is climbing up my back is giving me chills. I am not ready for this… i haven't seen Travis since everything happened. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling. Asclepius has been inside with my mother trying to convince her to let her remove the anguish and guilt she is feeling but she will not budge. I wind blows my hair around my neck and across my face. I pull my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I get the faint scent of cologne, I turn my head and see Travis walking from the house towards me. He looks as if he has been crying for hours. He walks over to me taking a set on the large rock next to me. For a moment he says nothing and just stares out at the sunset. I look down to him and reach out my hand to touch his shoulder. THe moment my hand touches him and turns his head to me. The pain in his eyes breaks my soul and i can’t help but cry. He gets up and sits behind me wrapping his ares around my shoulders. “Travis… are you ok?” He lets out a deep sigh and plants a gentle kiss on my neck. “I will be.” I look up to him wiping my eyes, “I am sorry...I feel like this is all my fault.” He takes his hand and places it on my cheek, “I don't ever want you to think that this was your fault. She made her choices on her own and made her own mistakes. You have to understand Niki, you’re my mate and there is nothing in this world that would make me stop loving you.” My heart begins to flutter and he leans in kissing my lips softly.” This time I feel no passion but an overwhelming feeling of...love. In any other circumstances this man would have left me, but this new world bonds people for life where no situation can change how you feel about each other. It’s something that no human will ever be able to experience and for that...I am grateful. I never wanted to have love again, but Travis has shown me that love is worth fighting for. I heard once that the greatest thing that you can ever do is just to love and be loved in return and being with Travis has finally made me realize its true meaning. This experience has been hard and painful, but I wouldn't change it for anything else and i just hope that Travis feels the same.
Chapter 9
The Awakening
Thunder rolls through the silent woods. I lie on my back in my bed awake as Travis lies sleeping beside me. It must be around 7am and I feel as if I have been awake all night long. I have fear growing inside me and my thoughts are racing so quickly that I cannot stop them. This is the day that we have all been dreading and I am not ready. Travis begins to stir next to me and I try to lie still as not to wake him. He rolls over and faces me, “Are you awake?” I look over to him and nod yes and then look back out the window. He scoots up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist breathing in deeply on the back of my neck. Today his touch brings no comfort. The sun is blocked from the dark grey clouds that completely cover the sky and the warm summer breeze has turned freezing and the house cold. “Niki, are you worried?” I roll over to face Travis and I can’t help but get annoyed at his question, “Of course I am worried aren’t you?” He rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks back at me. “Of course I am Niki but I am not going to let it ruin our day. There is nothing that we can do now other than wait for the the awakening.” How can he be so calm about everything? I feel like my skin is crawling and the only thing I want to do right now is run far away. He begins to runs his hand through my hair and then places his open palm on the side of my face. “Happy Birthday Baby.” He smiles at me and I return with the best smile that I can produce, although it probably seems fake. The smell of bacon begins to fill the air and we both take a deep breath in. “That smells good, I guess my mom decided to cook again.” Travis looks to me shrugging his shoulders. There is a knock on the door that makes me jump. “Who is it?” There is a moment of silence and then an answer, “It me...Mom.” I sigh of relief escapes by lips and I respond, “Come in.” The door knob turns slowly and the door creaks open. “Are you guys making breakfast?” Travis and I look at each other confused, “No we thought that you were, we are just now getting up.” I realize that it must be Asclepius. I crawl over Travis and swing my legs of the bed and onto the cold hardwood floor. I push myself up from the bed and walk over to the closet grabbing my purple slippers. Slipping them on, I turn to Travis, “Are you going to get up?” He doesn't respond and throws his legs over the bed. I start for the door and he grabs my wrist pulling me to him. He holds me in his arms and presses my body against his chest. I look up to him and he kisses me gently on the lips. I can’t help but melt into him and I press my lips deeper into his. He rips his lips from mine, “We don't have time
for that little lady.” I giggle and turn away from him walking out of the room and down the hall. I can hear his steps following me as we make our way to the dining room.
The table is covered with the traditional breakfast items, bacon, eggs, potatoes and juices. I turn and look into the kitchen seeing a man standing in front of the sink washing the dishes. “Dad…” He turns and his face could not make me feel more at ease. “Hey baby girl, happy birthday!” I run to him and wrap my arms around him. Tears begin to fall down my cheeks wetting his shirt. “I am so happy you're here! How did you get here?” His embrace is the one thing that I have been longing for. I finally feel my fear melt away and try to focus on the comfort that he is providing me. “Well I got out of the hospital and went home for a few days. I couldn't stand the thought of missing your birthday so I had a Taxi bring me. I thought that I would whip up some breakfast. I have something for you. Its in the living room on the coffee table.” I get on my tippy toes and give him a kiss on the cheek. I let him go and turn to walk out of the kitchen to see what he has brought for me and Travis is standing in the doorway with a worried look on his face. “What is the matter?” His gaze doesn't leave my father and he doesn't answer me. I wave my hand in front of his face trying to break his trace. He finally snaps out of it and looks down to me. He moves out of my way so I can pass. I grab his wrist and drag him to the living room with me. “What is wrong with you.” He looks around as if someone is watching him. “It is really not a good idea that he is here you know. They can use him against you.” I look to the gorund and the once happy feeling I was having is gone. “Well there is nothing that we can do now. He is here and I need him right now. If you want to convince him to leave then you go ahead.” I walk away from him and look towards the coffee table that is inbetween the fireplace and the couch. I see my mother sitting in front of the fireplace setting up logs to make a fire. There is a small box on the table with pink wrapping and a tiny silver bow. I pick up the box and it is no bigger than the palm of my hand. I pull off the pink wrapping and it revealed a little black ring box. I open the lid and a small sliver ring sparkles. It is so beautiful and I take it from the box placing it on my finger. I notice that there is an engraving on the outside, “I love you more than life itself” Tears of happiness being to well up in my eyes and I rush back to the kitchen. My dad is wiping his hands off on a dish towel and I rush to him wrapping my arms around him squeezing him as hard as I can, “Thank you Dad, I love it!” He tries to catch his breath and says, “Your welcome honey.” He pulls me away and kisses me on the forehead, “Now go eat.” I turn to walk away and he hollers out, “Come on everyone lets eat.” The front door opens and in walks Asclepius. My dad turns his head as he pulls out the chair at the head of the table. “Who is this young lady?” Asclepius looks to him and curtsies, “My name is Asclepius. I am the Queens Healer and you are?” He is taken back at her bow and responds, “I am the Queens father.” She rushes to him and grabs his hand shaking it vigorously, “It is nice to meet you! I never thought that I would get the chance. Are you also a Pyros?” He looks at her confused and then looks back to me, “What is a Pyros.” Before I can answer she points to my mother who is still kneeling in front of the fireplace, “She is a Pyros.” My mother whips her head around and sees my father and Asclepius staring at her, “What?” My father folds his arms and continues to stare at her, “Why are you a Pyros?” I realize that my father still has no idea that she has regained her gift. He never really knew much about it in the first place. My mom turns around with fire glowing in her hand. My father jumps and rushes to her trying to extinguish the flames. My mom begins to laugh and we all follow, “Honey relax it doesn't hurt.” He sits back onto the floor and begins to rub his head. “I am confused.” She closes her hand and the flame dissipates. “Well it guess the easiest way to explain it is I can control fire and conjure it on command.” He looks around the room and we all nod yes to him. He gets up from the floor and wipes off the seat of his pants. “Well I guess crazier things have happened to this family.” He walks back towards the table and mom follows him.
