Blood and Light

by Rue Volley

  I traced my fingers across it and I winced. It hurt. I would have to get Theodore to heal it... After all I've been through, it would be just stupid if I died from an infection. I grinned. Like I could die, without a blade thrust into my chest with a protector on the other end...or could I die...? I don't know.

  ******

  I stood up and started to pull it all off of me and I inspected my legs. They were bruised, no cuts, but I looked like I had fallen down the stairs. I shed all of my clothes and walked into the bathroom. I knelt down to start a bath and changed my mind. I would just stick with a shower. I could skip being in water for 353

  awhile, maybe forever. I stepped in and the steam was soothing. I closed my eyes and let the water run over me, I looked down and watched as some of my dried blood pooled around my feet and my stomach growled... I bit my lip.

  ******

  I ran down the stairs and Kai was still playing his video game. I looked around the room and saw that he was the only one here.

  “Where did everyone go?” I asked him

  Kai leaned as his virtual car skidded around a sharp turn on the screen.

  “They all went out…something about protection spells on the town,” he said.

  “Well, why are you still here?” I asked him.

  He placed his controller on the table as his car burned on the screen.

  “Damn it,” he muttered. He turned to me and grinned. “I don't know how to do that shit,” he said.

  “Well, you should learn...we both should, don't you think?” I said as I crossed my arms.

  “Okay...Sam,” he said to me. I rolled my eyes at him. He stood up and laughed.

  “You act more like her everyday,” he said.

  “I do not,” I said as I stood my ground.

  “You do,” he said as he ran past me, to his room.

  I stood there and bit my lip again. I liked it better then messing with my hands.

  Didn't look as nervous.

  He came back out and had his tennis shoes on. I looked down and laughed.

  “You think that maybe boots would be better?” I said.

  “Geezus…fine Rue,” he said as he ran back to his room. I heard him throwing stuff around. He returned with his black boots in his hand. He sat down and started to put them on. It took him a moment to lace them up.

  He finished and stood up. “Better now?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said as I grinned at him.

  “I swear...all girls just can't help but turn into a mother,” he muttered.

  “I am not your Mother Kai, just your sister,” I said as he jogged towards the door.

  “Could of fooled me,” he said as he pulled the door open.

  “Listen, Kai...I…” he interrupted me.

  “I'm glad your home Rue,” he said as he turned and walked out of the house.

  “Me too,” I muttered.

  We stepped out and we both stared down at Sara, who stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. I went to step forward and Kai jumped down and ran too her.

  “Great job at the house, Sara!” he said. She unfolded her arms and grinned.

  “I told you that I would distract them,” she said as he tapped her on the arm.

  I looked at her and crinkled my eyebrows. She came running up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a bear hug.

  “OMG girl...that was crazy!” she said as she backed up and smiled big at me.

  “Uh huh,” I said as I looked at Kai in confusion.

  354

  “Sara here knows what we are, she helped us get in Johnathan's house before you and Josh came barreling through on that bad ass horse Rue.”

  I looked at him and then back to her. “What horse?” she said.

  I grinned and looked towards the forest. “Go and find them Kai, tell them I'm on my way.” I turned back to Sara. “Want to see something really cool?” I asked her.

  Her eyes got big like we were shopping and she just found the perfect dress.

  “You know it,” she said.

  “Okay...” I closed my eyes and focused, color started to swirl behind my eyes. I opened my eyes and Sara stared at me with wonder.

  “Your eyes,” she whispered.

  “What?” I said.

  “Your pupils,” she said as she leaned in right in my face. “They look like blue shiny metal, it's swirling!”

  I looked at her and smiled. “I didn't know they did that,” I said.

  “It's beautiful...really cool!” she said.

  I smiled and grabbed her hand. “I've got something even cooler to show you Sara,” I said.

  I started to jog towards the forest as I gripped her hand. I kept my eyes towards the ground, following the trail that opened up with swirling color. We jogged for five minutes before I stopped and leaned down to the ground. I pressed my hand in the dirt and spread my fingers out. The trail brightened in front of me. I stood back up and Sara squeezed my hand.

  “What are you doing?” she said.

  I turned to her. “I'm tracking...I can see colors swirling in the air, and on the ground.”

  She looked out and towards the ground. “I don't see it,” she whispered.

  “I know, you wouldn't, but trust me...it's here,” I said.

  She gripped my hand tighter as I pulled her behind me. We came to a clearing and there he was, clawing at the earth with his hooves. He stood up straight and stared at me. I let her hand go and walked towards him. He leaned his head down and I placed my hand on the side of his head. Sara stood a few feet away from us, not saying a word. Then she walked towards us.

  “Where did you get a horse?” she said.

  I turned to her and grinned. “I borrowed him,” I said.

  “Borrowed?” she said as she looked at him.

  “Yea, he saved me, well...me and Josh really,” I said as I turned back to him and rubbed his head.

  “He is so pretty!” she said as she stepped up and reached out her hand.

  He dug his hooves into the ground and huffed. She lowered her hand and took a step backward.

  “Ohhh...I don't think that he likes me, she said.

  “No… Sara, I don't believe that, here...give me your hand.”

  I reached out to her and she placed her hand in mine. I raised her hand and placed it on his head. He huffed and she sucked in her breath. I gently moved her hand under mine against his coat. Her eyes got wide.

  “He feels like he's humming,” she said.

  355

  “Yea...he does,” I said calmly.

  “Why?” she said to me as she kept petting him.

  “All things contain energy Sara...even you,” I said, as she pulled her hand away.

  “It's kinda freaky,” she said.

  “No…it's normal, well for me anyway,” I said as I turned to her.

  “What are you Rue?” she asked.

  “It's kinda complicated,” I said as I took my hand off of him and stepped away.

  “Well...wanna try to explain?” she said as she stared at me.

  I looked at the horse and then I started to step towards her.

  “Sara...I am not human.”

  “What do you mean...not human?” she said as she started to sit down on the ground.

  I walked up to her and sat down, crossing my legs, in front of me.

  “Well…I am a protector Sara...just like my brother and Josh, Sam, and Theodore,” I said without hesitation.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “Well we have been on the earth for about 250,000 years.”

  Sara sucked in her breath. “Are you telling me that is how old you are?”

  I laughed. “No...no, that's just how long protectors have been here… I'm seventeen, but I won't age past twenty one, none of us do.”

  “WTF,” Sara whispered.

  “Yea, listen...I'm still letting it sink in myself,” I said as I looked at her face. I expected her to scream or pass out, but she just sat there staring a
t me. I looked at her and crinkled my eyebrows.

  “You okay?” I asked her.

  She sat still for a second and then put her hands out pinching her middle fingers to her thumbs. She closed her eyes and started to hum. I smiled.

  “What are you doing?” I asked her as I tilted my head.

  “Meditating...I saw it in a book,” she said.

  I laughed. “Okay.”

  She opened her eyes up and smiled at me.

  “I can't tell you how kick ass this is,” she said as she kept smiling.

  “Really...? I thought you'd run,” I said as I leaned back on my hands.

  “Are you kidding me...? You are what...like immortal...? Oh my god.”

  “Yea…I guess I am,” I said as I grinned.

  “Sweet,” she whispered.

  I stood up and looked back at the horse. I turned back to see her grinning up at me.

  “I really am surprised at how well you are taking this,” I said to her.

  “Well listen girlie...you are my BFF, you think a little thing like this is going to run me off...? Don't think so,” she said as she pushed herself up off of the ground.

  I ran to her and hugged her as hard as I could. She squealed. I backed up and put my hand on her face.

  “You are awesome,” I said.

  “I love you Rue,” she said. I took her hand and walked her to the horse. I looked back at her with a grin on my face.

  356

  “Listen, this guy can't stay forever...wanna ride him?” I said.

  She sighed. “Well, I guess.” She bit her lip.

  “Don't worry, you won't fall off of him, I promise,” I said as I rubbed his side.

  He knelt down and I pulled my self up onto his back. I reached my hand out to Sara and she took one last look at him and took my hand. I pulled her up behind me and she gave out a, “whoo.”

  “Aren't we supposed to have a saddle or something?” she said as she tightened her grip around my waist.

  “Nope,” I said, as we shot off through the forest.

  We dodged tree after tree until we broke out into a field. Sara had buried her face in my back and I yelled out to her, “Look Sara!”

  She pushed her head up and I felt her heartbeat speed up even faster then it already was. “OMG,” she yelled out. I focused on the core and pulled energy into my body, I felt us flash forward like a rocket. Sara squeezed my side so hard they started to ache.

  “You will not fall off,” I yelled at her.

  I felt her loosen up a little. We ran across the field and then I slowed him down, we turned and shot off back the way we came. We headed towards the forest and Sara buried her face in my back as we jumped in through the trees.

  We shot through the forest and my hands vibrated so hard, I looked down and his coat had a brilliant blue swirling on it.

  “Look Sara!” I yelled out to her. “Look at what?” she yelled back.

  “Under you.”

  She looked down and saw the blue color swirling on his coat. “Holy crap!”

  she yelled out. I grinned and pushed him on. We broke through the forest and I slowed him down. We stood just at the edge, facing my house. I started to lean forward and he knelt down. I slipped off and held my hand up to her. She grabbed it and slid off of his back. She stood there staring at him. Slowly, she raised her hand up and ran it along his side. The color swirled around her fingers and she sucked in her breath. “It is so pretty,” she said as she stared at him. He dug his hooves in and turned, running back into the forest.

  I stood there and looked at her as she kept her eye on the forest and then she turned to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck again and squeezed me so hard I stumbled.

  “That was the coolest thing I have ever done in my entire life!” she said to me.

  I grinned and let her hug me. It felt really good to see her this excited.

  “I know, right?” I said in her ear.

  We looked back at the house and then to each other. “Wanna find them?” I asked.

  “Are you kidding...? Of course I do,” Sara said as she smiled big.

  “Do your color tracking thingy,” she said as she pointed at the ground.

  I smiled. “Okay…I'll do my thingy,” I said.

  I closed my eyes and felt the energy gather in my chest. Colors swirled wildly behind my eyes, heart beats welled up in my ears.

  “Okay,” I said as I opened my eyes and looked at all the colors swirling in the air.

  “They are this way.”

  357

  Sara looked up and then back to me. “I can't see it,” she said.

  “Well, I didn't expect you too, but it looks like oil swirling in water,” I said as I blinked a couple of times.

  Sara looked out into the air again. “Is it color?” she asked.

  “Yes, we all have a color too us Sara, mine is blue.”

  “I saw that on the horse!” she said.

  “I know, probably because it's a horse...but you won't be able to see our colors, I guess.”

  Sara frowned. “Well, that's no fun,” she said.

  “Oh my god Sara, really?”

  “Well,” she started to laugh. “I guess it's okay, that horse was cool.”

  I grabbed her hand and started to pull her with me. “Let's go you brat,” I said.

  She sighed. “I don't think I'm really a brat...well I guess I am, just a little bit.”

  ******

  We traveled across town. I wish that I could have just flashed to them, but I had Sara with me and I was not going to put her on my back. I didn't even know if I could. My stomach growled as we walked and I looked over at her. I saw a slight shimmer on her skin. I could hear her heartbeat. My stomach growled again. You've got to be kidding me. I am not going to get hungry for my best friend. That is beyond ridiculous.

  I looked out into the air and saw the colors swirling to the left. We turned down the street and saw that we were coming up on the entrance to Red Woods.

  If I could just not keep coming back to this place, it would make me happy. Sara looked out and sucked in her breath as she stopped.

  “I think I just saw a flash of something go across the path,” she whispered. I looked and saw a black color swirl in the air.

  “It was just Josh,” I said.

  “Oh...just Josh, moving like a flash of light, okay...cool,” Sara said half halfheartedly.

  “Listen Sara, the only way that they will let you stay around, and know what we are, is if you act cool...k?” I said as I looked at her.

  “I'm cool... I am, no worries,” she said as she gave me a fake grin.

  “You can't act all nervous, I can feel it in your hand,” I said.

  “You can feel....how I feel?” she asked me.

  “Yes, I can...you know it's just something I can do now, but they will all be able to feel it, so you need to slow your breathing down, and act normal.”

  “Normal...right, okay,” she said as she started to press her middle fingers to her thumbs.

  “You don't even know how to meditate do you?” I asked.

  “No, not really,” she said as she dropped her hands.

  “This is no big deal, just stay with me.”

  I pulled her along, as I gripped her hand in mine. I watched the air get thick with color and I knew we were close. I looked down the hill and saw Theodore kneeling by the large lake. I called out as he stood up and turned to 358

  me. He already knew that I was here, but old habits of saying hello still lingered in me. We walked up to him and Theodore looked at me, and then to Sara.

  “Oh, I see that Sara has decided to join us,” he said as he smiled.

  Sara grinned. “Yea, I thought I'd come and hang out, you know...talk and stuff,”

  she said it with some nervousness in her voice. I squeezed her hand and she looked down.

  “I wanted her to come,” I said.

  “Well, okay then,” he said as he knelt back down.

  “W
e rode the horse,” I said as I looked to Sara.

  “You and the horse...yes, curious stuff there,” he said as he waved his hand over a symbol he etched into the mud. It started to glow and Sara's eyes got wide.

  She took a step back.

  “Sara, you don't need to be so fearful,” he said as he stood up.

  She held her ground. “I'm cool,” she said.

  “Well, you don't feel „cool",” he said with a grin.

  “Oh, I'm sorry...it's just weird. Rue said you could feel, ya know, the way I feel,”

  she said.

  “Yes...it's a necessary evil, I'm afraid,” Theodore said as he walked a few steps and knelt back down.

  “What are you doing?” Sara asked.

  “He is placing protection spells, it will prevent anyone...well, like us, to enter the town, “ I said without hesitation.

  “Like magic?” she asked as she stepped towards Theodore, staring down at him.

  Theodore laughed. “Yes, I guess you could call it „magic"... More like a transfer of energy, but if the word „magic" makes it simpler for you, then call it that.”

  “Okay, so why by the lake?” she asked him.

  “Well, because our Rue here has proven that water can be a portal, we don't want any surprises... There are others like us, not so friendly to humans.”

  Josh flashed up to us and Sara gasped. She put a death grip on my hand, her heart pounded in my palm. I sighed and looked at him, a little out of disgust for his dramatic entrance.

  “Hi Josh,” Sara said as she fidgeted, moving behind me.

  Josh grinned and leaned in to the two of us.

  “You brought Sara I see,” he said as he winked at me.

  “I did,” I said.

  “So, Sara.” Josh leaned past me and looked at her. She smiled, not a full smile, but the best she could muster. “Are you doing okay?” Sara nodded and he laughed. “Really...? Well I could feel you all the way out in the woods, your heart is pounding in your chest.”

  “Well.” Sara cleared her throat, “You know, it's just different...all this.”

  He stood up straight and tilted his head.

  “Different...? Okay, if that's what you want to call it,” Josh said, as a wicked grin crossed his face.