Huntress

by Hamlett, Nicole

  There was a reason that I’d briefly feared she was an alien out to probe me in our first encounter. Possibilities exist everywhere in this Universe and it would be a boring place without a little bit of “freak.”

  I added slivers of ham to the cheese and threw the sandwich into the Panini machine before turning around and folding my arms across my chest.

  “So, why me? And why now?”

  She seemed caught off guard by my question. I imagine that she was expecting me to argue with her and had the next phase of her “Make Grace Believe” plan in the wings.

  “You believe me?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I’m not going to commit to that yet. But it’s either hear you out or have you continue interrupting my life and unraveling my sanity. I’m a firm believer in making that not happen, Diana.”

  Did that comment offend her? She suddenly looked like she was going to cry and it made me want to reach out and comfort. I didn’t. Instead I started cleaning my cutting board, ignoring the chance to get closer.

  It was another lesson learned early. If you don’t let people in, they don’t have the opportunity to hurt you. There were people in my life right now that didn’t give me a choice. They clung like little monkeys to me, refusing to let me shake them loose. If I was going to have an honest moment with myself, I’d have to admit that the only person I let in willingly was Dylan. Since he was made up of my genetics, I figured he didn’t count as someone who could book when the going got tough.

  There was a piece of me that felt guilty for passing up the opportunity to get closer with this woman who claimed to be my only family. My stomach tightened when I realized that one day, Dylan may be making the same decision and I shoved that thought into the back of my head to analyze later.

  “Giving you away wasn’t easy Grace. Is that what you need to hear me say? You want to know that if I had another choice I would take it back? I wouldn’t take it back. This is how this story had to play out.”

  “Whatever,” was my short reply. “Get on with it.”

  “You may have noticed a lot of unstable activity around the world lately. Tornadoes, tsunamis and earthquakes are hitting more frequently and this is not what should be happening. Earth, despite the Human Race’s mistreatment, has a more stable core than this. We think that it’s because of an old power struggle rearing its ugly head again. Remember when I said that Zachary sunk Atlantis? Well this is just a continuation. Because you are my daughter, it’s not safe anymore for you to pretend to be something else. You need to get ready in case you are attacked or there is a battle. I don’t want to lose you and Dylan because you’re unprotected and an unwilling pawn.

  The knife that I’d begun to wipe off slipped and sliced open my fingertip. I gasped at the pain and brought the wound up to my mouth. She reached over the counter and gripped my wrist tightly.

  "Let me fix that," she said under her breath, and I felt heat wash over my skin. I watched, transfixed, as the slice closed - squeezing out a few extra drops of blood.

  I forced myself not to gag. Blood always made me queasy, especially my own. When I’d been pregnant with Dylan, I’d actually asked them to sedate me before doing my blood work. They thought I’d been kidding. I wasn’t. I just have a weak stomach in general.

  Mothers who wanted to make sure that their kids were changed regularly didn’t ask me to babysit unless it was an emergency. Don’t ask how I’d gotten through Dylan’s infancy.

  Wiping the blood off of my finger with a paper towel, she smiled and muttered, “Ninny” before walking over to my gas stove and setting the thing to fire.

  “What the-!” She cut me off with a direct stare.

  “You need to start being more careful with your blood. In the wrong hands, it could be very painful for you. By painful I mean, you dying painfully. Pain.” That last word came with a pointed stare.

  “Pain, got it. I’ve been on my own for all of these years and I simply cannot understand why it’s so important now.”

  “You’ve always had guardians around you Grace. Even when you thought you were the most alone. There is no way I’d give you up without at least keeping an eye on you. You may have felt them throughout the years.”

  “How would I feel them?”

  She smiled fondly before answering. “You kids are attracted to each other like little magnets. Whether it’s loyal friendship, soul shattering love or deep hatred, your blood sings to each other. It’s a side effect of our genetics. Part of you doesn’t belong on this world, so you are attracted to others who share your affliction.”

  “Yes, that explains it so well,” I quipped sarcastically.

  “Don’t be a smart ass.” I could see her determination and something that made me shiver. There was a hardness in Diana’s eyes that made me want to turn away. Returning her gaze was the bravest thing I’d done in a long time. You can chalk that bravery up to being contrary if you want, but the woman’s stare scared the shit out of me.

  “It’s why you all make such good Hunters. You can feel the other-worldliness of the ones that don’t belong here.”

  Well that was just creepy.

  “So why don’t you go after this guy that’s causing the problem? I mean for the love of God, I’ve read my mythology. You’re Diana, the Huntress. Aren’t you supposed to be the ‘Ultimate?’?” I gave her bunny ear quotes when I said the word ultimate.

  She raised an eyebrow at me and shot back, “Does your army exist on corporals alone?”

  She had a good point. Every army needed a General.

  “That doesn’t answer the question of why you didn’t go after him.” I felt the weight of my question bear down on me in the coldness of her eyes.

  “I cannot travel to other realities and we are afraid that he is using the different planes to cause problems. Once I took this responsibility, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to leave your plane.”

  “Wait a minute,” I frowned. “If what you say is true and I’m the first full blooded Alancean born in blah blah years, how do you expect me to do something that you cannot?”

  She smiled as if she had me. “That’s just it. We don’t know why. You were able to do things in your infancy that none of us could explain. It’s also why we think your father was trying so hard to take you. If you can travel the Rifts with all of your power, there is little that could stop you if you had the knowledge.”

  There were so many questions and I just didn’t feel like there was enough time to get them all answered. Itchy anticipation crawled over my skin. Something was changing.

  It was like the change of seasons. You could smell Fall on the air. You knew when the first Spring shower was coming because the air felt different - gentle, warm and charged with promise. This felt like that. I wasn’t sure that I liked it.

  "So," I began casually, "you want me to go after this guy?" I didn't want her to know that she was hooking me, and if I was being perfectly honest with myself I'd have to admit that I was a little afraid. There were no obvious signs of great power within me. Hell, I couldn’t even put together a new bookshelf in my office without ending up sweaty and perplexed.

  Long pauses make me uncomfortable. Over the years I've learned to count to twenty so I don't start blabbering to fill in the silence, but that trick doesn't always work. To stall further, I scrubbed harder at a stain that would never come out of my cutting board - the damned thing had already been clean for 15 minutes.

  As I forced myself to stop and look at her again, I could see the indecision in her eyes. Whatever she wasn't telling me was making me uneasy. She sat back in her chair and began fiddling with her frayed cuffs.

  Her mouth opened as if she was going to begin, but then immediately shut it.

  I raised my eyebrow at her expectantly and she smirked at me in return.

  “Be patient! I’m trying to think of the best way to put this.”

  “Which means that it’s bad.”

  “No, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad.” She rolled
her eyes and shook her head at me in exasperation. “It means that I’m not sure how to word it and still make sense.”

  “So, it’s bad.”

  “You are extraordinarily annoying at times Grace. I obviously mis-named you.” Rising from her stool, she moved around the end of the breakfast bar to stand in front of me. With both of her hands on my biceps, she looked me in the eye and said, “I don’t expect you to stop anyone, but I have been told that you would be an integral part of resolving this matter.”

  When a woman of superior strength has a solid grip on your body, you aren’t going anywhere. How would I know this? Yeah, I tried because the urge to run screaming was so strong.

  “What do you mean you have been told? You-you keep saying that you don’t think I’m ready. Why haven’t I been ready and what makes you think that I’d be ready now?”

  Her smile was beauteous. For a fraction of a second, I saw her true form shine through her disguise. I decided that she scared me even more when she smiled.

  “Look at you! You’ve been searching for who you are your entire life. Finally, not only have you shucked off the baggage that was holding you back, but you’ve passed every test that life has thrown you. Here you are, independent and free. You took a really long time to learn the lesson that it doesn’t matter what others believe of you. It’s whether you find yourself worthy enough to be treated well and with respect. Are you going to be a victim for the rest of your life Grace? I think not. You can choose to pursue that role, but I’d really like to see you shine, baby.”

  “Yeah you must not have been paying attention very well. I can’t say I’ve actually passed that last test. I just do the best I can to get by.”

  “Oh for the love of… get over yourself.” She threw her hands in the air. “You’re here aren’t you? You have a home, a beautiful child, a successful career. You’ve made it. Does it hurt? Sure it does. Do you still have fear and doubts? Of course you do. You think that this life you’ve lead was hard? You should have seen what I’ve had to go through.” She gave me a very pointed look. “There are things that you just have to decide to get past Grace. Remember that. Your sandwich is about to burn.”

  Startled out of my shock, I turned around and flipped up the lid on the Panini maker. She was right, it was right at the edge between browned and burned.

  Sliding the sandwich onto a paper plate and grabbing a bottle of orange juice, I nodded back to the family room. “We can continue back in there. It’s more comfy.”

  She nodded and led the way back in, seating herself in my favorite chair. Irritated by her choice, I flopped down onto the couch and took a giant bite out of my sandwich. Melted cheese filled my mouth with creamy goodness. There is little better than a great grilled cheese sandwich.

  “Continue,” I ordered. Except, it didn’t sound at all like “continue” since my mouth was full. It came out more like an mmphoo.

  “Didn’t your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” she griped.

  I cocked an eyebrow at her that said, “Really?”

  “Good point.” She settled further down into my over-large, overstuffed reading chair, curling her feet beneath her in a comfortable position before she continued.

  “Like I said, there are different planes of existence. Thousands of years ago, instead of exploring space, my people decided to figure out how to explore those different planes. It seemed more adventurous somehow.”

  She continued on telling me of how in Alancea, people were long lived, very autocratic and filled with magic, unlike the people of my Earth. Because of their long lives, they created things that helped make those years more entertaining and bearable. She gave me a mental picture of Alancea that was filled with wonders and miracles.

  Her father had helped pioneer this exploration program but they discovered that when they explored new worlds, while they could bring back different technology and vast amounts of new knowledge, the more they created Rifts, the more often their world would experience small natural disasters.

  Not every world experienced this type of instability but theirs was unfortunately prone. After a particularly nasty incident in which they lost over a million people because of an unstable Rift, they realized that some kind of Organization was needed in order to prevent not only unauthorized travels to their world, but to also monitor travel between the other planes of existence. They never realized that inter-dimensional travel would cause so much devastation.

  Diana and a group of others were called upon to be the Guardians of our plane. They were chosen carefully from their world - the Program leaders were looking for balance, strength, courage and wisdom. Beyond the powers that they already possessed, they gained immortality and the nearly impossible duty of guarding our world.

  Earth’s natural barriers were not as resistant and because of its vast land masses and variable climate, it was an attractive destination for Interdimensionals (a term used to describe beings from other dimensions).

  My meal was long forgotten as I sat transfixed by the story that unfolded before me. I was so engrossed that the sudden vibrating and music coming from my pocked made me jump and yelp in surprise.

  I didn’t have to look at the number to know who it was. Only one person got this ringtone. Drawing defenses and a semblance of composure around myself, I answered without a hello.

  “What do you want?” I asked tersely.

  Oh God, the urge to hang up was so strong. I hated his stupid voice and face and everything that went with it.

  “My lawyer called letting me know that he’d received the finalized decree from your Lawyer. I just wanted to thank you for being expedient about this Grace. Really, this was Ace of you.”

  “Yes, as happy as I am to impress you with my maturity, could you get to the point? I have a guest.” I didn’t continue because he didn’t need to know the details.

  “You’re dating already? Wow that was fast.”

  I sighed. “No Brandon, I’m not dating. If I were, it’s not your business anyway. What do you want? I’m busy.”

  “Well,” he started sounding slightly nervous. “Clarissa and I were talking and we think that Dylan should stay with us for a while. Since I have joint custody, I think that it’s important for me to be a ‘hands on’ Dad and she thinks that he could use some stability while you deal with being single.”

  Rage. It was the only word to describe the extreme emotions boiling within me. My bottle of orange juice began rattling on the table next to me and I glared at it, willing it to stop.

  Diana suddenly focused on me, her stare intent. She started to rise from her chair but I leveled a murderous glance at her and she sat back against the cushions, putting her hands up in a defensive pose.

  More things were vibrating around me and I could hear Brandon say, “Do you feel that? Oh my God, do you think we’re having an earthquake?”

  I closed my eyes and prayed for serenity. “I can assure you Brandon that I am not ‘dealing’ with being single. I’ve been single for years. The agreement was that Dylan would live with me and spend vacations and some weekends with you. Just because your new Barbie girlfriend wants to be a Mommy doesn’t mean that she gets to practice on my kid.”

  The noise is what caught my attention. It sounded like a semi-truck was rumbling next to my window, so of course I walked over to the window while I listened to the bastard prattle on about how I needed to be nice about Clarissa and it wasn’t fair to deny him rights to my son.

  The pebbles on the walkway around the patio were dancing around like Mexican Jumping Beans. My eyebrows rose in surprise. As far as I knew, there had never been an earthquake in the Springs.

  Staying calm so my voice did not betray my rising panic or rage I said, “Brandon, I don’t care what you would like to have happen. We’ve gone through the details in court. If you want to change them, you know how to get in touch with my lawyer.”

  “Grace, don’t be like that. You know that was all just a formality.”

>   “No, it wasn’t. You have his number. Talk to him about formalities.” Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and remembered that I had a very expensive lawyer who could deal with this. I didn’t have to anymore.

  “I can get rid of him honey. You’d be amazed at what a small bolt of electricity will do to the human heart,” Diana whispered to me.

  “Shut up.” I mouthed and gave her an angry look before continuing. “Please tell Clarissa that I appreciate her anxiousness to please you and be all house-wifey, but we’re good here. You get Dylan next weekend. They’re expecting you to pick him up from school.”

  “Grace, this isn’t a request.” He paused and my fingers tightened around my phone. I noticed that the plastic was becoming hot to the touch. It must need a new battery, I thought.

  “Grace?” I lost it. I blew my stack. I was going to tell him exactly what a piece of ever living crap he was and that there was no way in hell that he was ever raising my son with the psychotic Barbie that he had chosen with his dick.

  Diana’s hand grabbed my wrist and she looked pointedly to my phone. It was glowing red and the plastic covering was starting to melt. I hadn’t noticed that the signal was breaking up, I had been so angry.

  “We had an agreement, Brandon. If you don’t like it, you can have your lawyer talk to mine. I need to go.” I hit the end button and threw my phone across the room. The shock of seeing it bury itself in the drywall caused me to start hyperventilating.

  Diana thrust a paper bag in front of my face and ordered me to breathe. I eyed her warily as I breathed slowly into the bag. Pulling the bag away so I could speak, I caught her glare and promptly shoved it back against my mouth and nose.

  “I can take care of this for you. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that you have too much on your plate and you just don’t know how to deal with this.” She paused and rested her hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently.

  “But, I can take care of this for you,” she repeated. “You think that you won’t have time for what I need from you and Brandon is causing a distraction, that jackass.” She scowled ferociously after she said that. Maybe siccing her on Brandon wasn’t such a bad idea after-all. “I think that you should probably know that you can’t go back to what you were now. It’s too late. Already your power is coming back. You have to get training. If you don’t control it, you could cause devastation. You could even hurt Dylan with your temper.”