The Guardians' Daughter

by A. M. McPherson

Stu sits back in his chair and his forehead creases. “Well, I think anyone would understand if you want to take more time. We can push it back. Plus, we’re only a few weeks into the new semester. I’m sure you have a lot going on with your studies, especially since you’re taking the test for the Defender program.” His eyes light up with his smile. “I’m glad you changed your mind about that. I know you’ll make your parents proud and become a great Guardian like they were.”

  A sigh escapes me. “I don’t want to prolong this. Thank you for the offer anyway.” I withhold the real reason that cemented my decision about the Defender program—that it’ll be a useful stepping stone to investigate the true motives for my parent’s murders, to find out what secret my parents were killed for. “So, how about I arrive at nine a.m. at the auditorium? That’ll give me about an hour and a half before it starts.”

  Stu nods. “I think that will be fine.”

  “Excuse me, Dean Warwick?” a timid female voice asks.

  My focus goes to the door behind me.

  Stu’s secretary is standing there. She’s very tall and skinny, like a stick, and dressed in a brown plaid suit. Her brown hair is in a high ponytail, and she’s wearing orange-tinted glasses.

  Stu sighs. “What is it, Susan? I told you to hold my calls.”

  She adjusts her eyewear. “I’m sorry to bother you, but a student’s here to see you. He said you had something for him.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Aiden Stiles.”

  Aiden? What is he doing here? He never mentioned anything to me about stopping by last night, even with us discussing my morning meeting with Stu.

  “Oh! The Stiles boy!” Stu beams ear to ear. “Have him take a seat, and I’ll be with him shortly.”

  Susan nods and closes the door behind her.

  “Well, Ember …” Stu clears his throat. “If you don’t have any further questions, I think we have everything set for Sunday.”

  A huge sigh of relief leaves me. I’m more than happy to put an end to this conversation. “I think I’m good right now.”

  “If you do think of anything you want to ask, just stop by.” Stu’s attention shifts to a pile of paperwork on his desk. “On your way out, would you let Mr. Stiles know he can come in?”

  A random thought comes to me. “If you would like, I can give whatever it is to Aiden.”

  “Well, I know you two are friends.” Stu’s focus snaps back to me. “I remember you two were together when the Iron Forge attack happened last semester, but—”

  “He’s actually my boyfriend.” I sit up a little straighter. “So, that’s why I don’t think he would mind if I gave it to him, but, if it’s something you feel you should give it to him personally, that’s fine. I just figured I would offer.”

  Stu’s eyes double in size. “I didn’t realize you two were together. That … That should be fine then. I do have a lot to attend to so that would save me some time. It’s just some paperwork. Let him know if he has any questions to feel free to contact me.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Okay.” He searches through a small stack of manilla envelopes on his desk and hands one to me. “Here you go.”

  I stand, noticing the outside has no information indicating what it may be other than a white label with Aiden’s name. “Thanks.”

  His smile is tightlipped. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  “You too.” I smile. “Try not to work too hard.”

  He chuckles but doesn’t reply.

  I turn and head to exit.

  “Ember?”

  “Yeah?” I glance over my shoulder to see Stu’s face etched with worry.

  “Be careful, okay? If you see anything strange on campus, please notify me right away.”

  “O-Of course.”

  He nods and refocuses to some forms on his desk. “That’s all.”

  The feeling of dread engulfs me like a bucket of ice water, and my feet don’t want to move. I’ve always felt like Stu knows more than he lets on, but I know better than to push for more information right now. I move to the door and close it behind me, leaving the anxiety in the room with Stu.

  The sky-blue walls and bleached wood floors of Stu’s waiting room greets me. I glance back at the door, seeing the gold plaque on the door that reads DEAN STUARD WARWICK. I concentrate on my breathing for a moment and refocus on the room. It has a bit of a calming effect, but more than anything, the sight of Aiden sitting in one of the wooden chairs is all the comfort I need. He must be the most handsome guy I’ve ever laid eyes on, with his chisel jawline and angular features. His white hair lays loose slightly past his shoulders, and his black sweater hugs his athletic torso.

  His crystal-blue eyes glance up. “Hey there, beautiful.” He stands and smiles in a way that would make any girl swoon. “I was hoping I’d get to see you.”

  I approach him, knowing he has to see the happiness shining from my eyes. “You have no idea what it means to see you right now, but why didn’t you tell me last night you were stopping?”

  “Well … we did get distracted a bit.” He smirks.

  My cheeks warm up at the memory of me entwined in his arms—his lips on mine, my hands lost in his hair … Until Billy, Aiden’s best friend and roommate, gave us a heart attack by returning to the dorm room earlier than we anticipated.

  “Plus, I didn’t know I was going to stop by,” Aiden continues. “I went to class early to work out, but Valentino told me to come here to get a packet from the dean.”

  I hold out the manilla envelope. “Here it is. Care to fill me in?”

  He takes it from me. “It’s just an application for an internship this summer with the Moonbroch League. Only the top Defender candidates get the opportunity to apply for it.” He drops the envelope on the chair, reaches for me and pulls me to him. “But before we talk too much about that, I don’t think we’ve properly said good morning to each other.”

  My cheeks pull tight with my smile. “Oh?”

  He lowers his head and lightly brushes his lips against mine, and I melt like an ice cream cone on a hot day. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” I say with a sigh while curving into him. Our light kiss causes tingles to shoot through me, and goosebumps prick my arms. Or it may be because of the electrical energy Aiden harnesses, causing him to have that extra spark.

  A woman clears her throat.

  Aiden and I both snap our attention to Susan staring at us while shaking her head with her lips tight together.

  “Whoops.” Aiden chuckles and releases me. “I guess she doesn’t appreciate our little show of affection.”

  “Maybe we should go. My class starts in a bit, and you probably need to get back to yours as well.”

  He nods and grabs the envelope. “I do, but I’ll walk you to the science building first.”

  My chest tightens. Since the new semester started weeks ago, it’s been a struggle to go to my class, The Science of Abilities. Erik would’ve been my professor, like he was for Extreme Chemistry last semester. Tears once again threaten me. I wrongly blamed him for so much about my parents that he had no control over. The guilt is overwhelming sometimes.

  Aiden and I enter the hallway and simultaneously reach for each other’s hand. Multiple doors of the University of Stalwarth’s administrators line the hallway, but I focus on Aiden’s touch, needing a sense of security, but a tear escapes, and I quickly wipe it away.

  Aiden glances at me, his brows furrowed. “Maybe you should take the morning off. I’m sure discussing the conference was stressful.”

  “It was, but I can’t put my life on hold because I’m a little nervous. I’ve done that enough already for a lifetime.”

  His eyes soften. “It’s okay though to take a little break. It took me a while to realize that myself.”

  I laugh. “You? Step back? Aren’t you the top in your Defender class?”

  He grins. “Yeah, but it’s important not to wear myself out. I almost did that last s
emester with everything going on, and …” His cheerfulness fades and his eyes dimmer. “With everything that happened between us.”

  The lump reforms in my stomach. “Well, that’s behind us now.”

  Aiden gets quiet.

  I pull on him to stop at the top of the stairs in front of the black iron railing. I glance out the wall-length window on the opposite side from us. From the third floor in the student center, it has a fantastic view of the ice-covered lake on campus, surrounded by all the old oak trees frosted with snow. I squeeze his hand. “Hey.”

  He looks at me, his eyes large with remorse.

  “Let’s keep that in the past where it belongs.”

  He returns the squeeze. “You know, sometimes I still can’t believe you forgave me.”

  “Well, like I told you, you couldn’t have done anything to save my parents. Black Mold and Iron Forge murdered them. Not you. I know you feel like you should’ve done something, but even if you tried, you probably would’ve been killed in the process. You said that yourself.”

  “Sometimes it’s still hard not to feel somewhat guilty. I was the only one there, after all … who could’ve aided your parents.”

  “Aiden. You were a kid. Only twelve!” My heartbeat quickens, feeling a bit agitated. “It wasn’t your job; you know that. You should have never been there! You should’ve gone home like my dad told you to. So, please, let it go.”

  “I know.” Aiden closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before looking back at me. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to come up. I know we’ve worked through it.”

  “Yes. We have.” I let my lungs expand for a second longer, attempting to take a longer breath. “Plus, you have to keep a clear mind to help me figure out what is really going on with the Guardians. Jill made it clear the villains have help on the inside.”

  Aiden caresses the side of my face, a sudden worry in his piercing blue eyes. “Speaking of Jill, are you still having issues sleeping?”

  I shrug, trying to ignore the image of Jill dressed in her dirty skull shirt and straw-colored hair, shrieking while burning into a pile of dust. “She still haunts my dreams most nights.”

  “Oh, hun.” Aiden wraps his arm around me. “You shouldn’t feel guilty about what you did. She was going to kill us both.”

  “Let’s talk about something else, okay?” I say against his chest and tighten my grip. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty. Jill was going to kill us, but I did take a life that day. She had a family—a family she’ll never go back to.

  “I’m here for you.” Aiden kisses the top of my head. “Whenever you’re ready to talk.”

  I pull back and force a smile, not wanting Aiden to see the emotional mess I really am. “I know you are. Let’s get going though. We’ll both be late if we stall any longer.”

  “Yeah. Valentino would be upset if I missed mock battles.”

  We head down the stairs. “Who are you against today?”

  “I’m not sure. She’s pairing us together in class. As long as it’s not Jomo, I’ll be fine. I really don’t want to deal with his arrogant attitude.”

  I snicker. “Well, you probably just jinxed yourself.”

  Aiden grimaces but then sighs. “You’re probably right.”

  He stares out the window. Snow is falling again, twinkling in the ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. “You know, I don’t think it’s snowed in Stalwarth for over twenty years.” He glances at me with his brow creased. “It makes me wonder if someone is using their abilities to mess with the weather.”

  Jill. She’s dead though. She can’t manipulate the weather any longer.

  “It’s probably just some kind of freak occurrence,” I reply, feeling like I’m trying to convince myself more than Aiden.

  He holds my hand a little tighter. “You’re probably right.”

  There’s no denying the dark cloud forming around us, amplifying our uneasiness, but there’s no reason for it.

  No one can use their abilities from the grave.

  Did Lime steal your heart like he does chicken tenders?

  Introducing: The Adventures of Lime!

  Learn about how Lime came to be, plus more in this short story series!

  * * *

  Visit www.ammcpherson.com to read today!

  Acknowledgments

  When I first decided to pursue a self-publishing path for my first book, I never truly realized all the work that would be involved. It takes an army to bring a book to completion. Without these folks there is no way I would have ever been able to achieve my dream, and I want to express my eternal gratitude.

  * * *

  First and foremost I want to thank my husband for his patience and love during this process. Without you I would have never been able to finish. Thank you for always being there by my side encouraging me every step of the way.

  * * *

  To my son, if I had never had you I may never have been brave enough to pursue my dreams. You're an inspiration to both me and your father to be the best we can be. Thank you for making me a better person.

  * * *

  To my mom, thank you for giving me a childhood that always encouraged me to develop my imagination. Without it I don’t know if I could’ve ever been able to dream up such a fantastic world.

  * * *

  Also to all my friends who read, supported, and helped me during this process with their feedback, many thanks, especially to Jeff, Lindsey, and Nick. You guys rock!

  * * *

  So many thanks to my editor, Brian Paone. Without him this story wouldn’t be shining so bright! Also his patience with my numerous blurbs should be admired by all—thank you so much again for all the hard work you contributed to my story.

  * * *

  To the members of my writing group: Johnny, Brian, and Jim, thank you so much for your time and patience reading through the rough versions of my chapters! Your input and encouragement helped get this book to a new level and your feedback was invaluable!

  * * *

  To Maria Spada, thank you so much for the amazing cover you designed for me and answering any questions I ever had! Your talent and imagination created the perfect cover for my book, and for that I’ll always be grateful!

  * * *

  Also a huge thank you to all my beta readers: S. J. Pratt, Stephanie B. Whitfield, Tenaya MKD, Emé Savage, and Elena Shelest. The fact you took time out of your busy schedules to read my book and provide such fantastic feedback means the absolute world to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  * * *

  Finally, thank YOU. Thank you for taking the time to read my book and support me. That alone is the greatest gift in the world. Without readers like you there’s no way I could continue my writing dreams.

  About the Author

  A.M. took writing classes at Kent State University before graduating with her Associate of Arts degree. Writing was originally a tool in helping her overcome her postpartum depression, but quickly became a new found passion. She hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams no matter what.

  * * *

  A.M. has been a lover of superhuman stories for over twenty years and also loves Ghost Adventures, Unsolved Mysteries and anything supernatural. When she isn’t writing she enjoys hiking with her husband and little dude.

  * * *

  To learn more about A.M. and her works visit www.ammcpherson.com.