by S.A. Waters
“Yes, I do!”
“Boys!” Star interrupted. “Kyle, follow me to your room. We will discuss matters there.” I huffed, but sulked and followed Star.
Star led me to this huge mansion not too far away. I was stunned! “Is this our house?” I asked, now excited. Star nodded.
The mansion was brown, and made of woodish, bamboo material. It had a lot of open air roofs and many balconies. The walls were made of glass and the walkway was made of pure marble. The roof and ledges consisted of metal. There were plants everywhere; it was amazing.
Star stopped me at the door and began to utter pure gibberish. What looked like a black cup holder thing came out of the wall. Except with only half the cup holder and without the bottom part. Star stood up on her back legs and pressed her neck against the holder thing. It scanned her neck and the door opened. “That was awesome!” I exclaimed. “It’s like we are spies or something! What was that?”
“That, Kyle,” Star explained. “was a scanner. It scans your mark to prevent Pacts and other intruders in the home.”
“Wait, you still have you mark?”
“Yes. Your mark is your mark. It stays with you forever. I have the mark of courage. See?” I looked at Star’s fur and engraved in her stripes was an ax in the hands of a mouse.
“That’s cool. What made you worthy of that mark? And what is it?”
“Kyle, you aren’t worthy for a mark. It’s just given to you. The mark gives you an idea of your life. A goal maybe. All I know is that when you die, you finally understand what it means and why you received it.”
“What did yours mean?”
“Only the mark’s owner can know and fully understand.”
“Can I ask you one more thing? I think you might be able to give me an answer.”
“Of course.”
“I have this necklace. This one right here. And it doesn’t come off. Why?”
“It’s our tracking device, so your guardians will always know where you are.”
“That makes sense now. When I was little I thought I could move things with my mind. And then as I got older it started to really creep me out.”
“That’s normal. Now Kyle, We need to get you registered so you can get into the house. Star chanted another phrase of gibberish. As soon as Star spoke, another scanner popped out of the wall.
“Press your neck against the scanner so it can read your mark.” I did as I was told. The scanner made a weird noise and kind of shocked me. I flinched a little bit.
“Don’t move, Kyle,” Star said. “It won’t be able to read you.” I took a deep breath and let it scan me. The scanner kept shocking me, but none the less I kept still. Before I knew it the scanner went back into the wall and the door reopened. I turned to Star. “Did it work?” She nodded and gestured to come inside.
When I walked in my jaw dropped. It was the biggest living room I’ve ever seen. The walls were made of black marble and glass, and the floors were hardwood. In the center there was a black marble table on top of a rug. Behind the table was a white couch, and to the left was a red chair. The T.V. was huge! It was attached to a cool stone material which lead down to the fireplace. “You like it?” Star asked with a grin. “I love it!” I exclaimed.
Star laughed. “Well, don’t get too comfortable, we’ve still got the rest of the house.” Star led me to the kitchen, which was just as amazing. Like the living room, it had hardwood floors and marble and glass walls, except the marble was white instead of black. The counter tops were stainless steel, with the black marble bottoms for support. You could look outside through the glass and see trees and grass and swimming pool! “Can we go see the backyard now?” I asked Star. She laughed and said, “Of course, it’s your house after all.”
Star led me down the hall and opened a wooden door. The backyard was beautiful! There was a garden and a huge swimming pool surrounded by a fake (but beautifully magnificent) tropical oasis! There was a waterfall and a water slide! Plants and trees surrounded the area.
“Star this is so cool!” I yelped, hardly being able to choke out the words. “I feel like I want to scream as if I were a girl who just got tickets to see Taylor Swift or something! I don't even know what to say.”
“Well okayyy,” Star said, a little creeped out. “I don’t know who that is.” She took me behind the pool revealing a lot of trees and a small dog park.
“That’s for us.” Star explained. “You can almost always find Eli in a tree or Dylan and me at the park. Here’s the patio. Across from it you’ll see a basketball court. Now, on the patio table there is a remote you can use to transform the court into any sports area you wish. Soccer, hockey, football, baseball, we’ve got it. Come along now. Let me show you to your bedroom.” I reluctantly walked with her, still staring at this magical place they call a backyard.
I followed Star back in the house and up spiral stairs. She led me down a hallway. There were four doors, two on each side of the wall. “The doors on the right are Eli’s and I’s bedrooms. The first door on the left is Dylan’s room. I can’t show you their room, but if you wish I can show you mine.” I nodded and Star showed me her room. On her door was a sign made of leather. It was engraved - REBEKAH STAR WHITE.
“Is that your name?” I asked Star.
“Yes.” She replied. “My Earthly name at least. Up here I’m just Star. We walked into the room. The walls were a dark purple with a black leather couch on one side. A fireplace was on the left side of the room with a white and black striped rug in the center. Across from the couch was a huge T.V. It was astonishing. Again, so cool!
“Star, this room is amazing! Where do you sleep?”
“Right up there.” She motioned over to a rock and then up to a hammock. “Sweet.” I said, smiling. Then I noticed a night stand next to the rock with a picture on it. I picked it up. The picture was of a young girl with blonde hair, green eyes, and a gorgeous smile.
“Is that you, Star?” Star sighed and nodded. “Star, you were beautiful.” “Thanks, Kyle. Was beautiful.”
“You still are. You don’t like being a white tiger?”
“I do, but I guess it’s not the same. It’s hard to explain.”
“I get it.”
“If you think this is cool, you should see your room!” I was super excited! My own room in the coolest house ever! Star walked me across to the last door on the left. My name was engraved in the black door in gold letters. KYLE EILAM WALTON. Excitedly, I swung open the door. My room was black with hardwood floors. On the far wall was my bed. It was striped dark blue and black with navy pillows. The bed was queen sized. I looked around and next to the bed towards the wall was a white leather couch facing a fireplace with a huge flat screen television above it! Next to my bed was a small flight of stairs leading up to a large platform. It was like a second story! On the platform was a desk with a computer. Next to the desk was a nice little hammock and bean bag chair. This room was better than Star’s! I looked over to the left and saw a gleaming bathroom with white polished tiles and a bathtub with jets!
“Thank you so much Star!” I exclaimed. “I’m speechless! Like, trust me-I am completely aware that there are so many better adjectives than ‘amazing’ and that I am, ‘speechless,’ but it’s the truth.” She just laughed. Then her tone got shockingly serious.
“We will come talk to you when you get settled.” Star left the room, and closed the door.
Chapter 5
“Kodiak, we need to talk.” Eon said as he woke Kody up. “Why?” Kody asked him. “It’s about your friend, Kyle Walton. Be ready in five minutes.” As soon as Eon left his bedroom, Kody dashed out of bed and put on a white T-shirt and jeans, accompanied by a nice navy blue blazer and brown flip flops. He quickly combed his hair to the side and ran down the stairs. “Eon?” He shouted to call his guardian. Kody looked around the house and then found them outside on the patio. “Take a seat, Kodiak.” Eon told him. Kody sat down facing his three guardians. Eon
, his lion; Juliet, his hawk; and Fang, his wolf. Fang stepped up and said, “First and only order of business. The protection of your friend, Kyle Eilam Walton.”
“Why?” Kody asked. “Is he in danger?”
“More than you know. He is, as we know, the Light.”
“He is what?”
“You heard me right. The Light. Therefore, he must be protected. His guardians can only do so much to help him on Earth. So we want to know if you would be willing to protect him and help him. Remember, this is going to be difficult, and you will have to put his life before yours. Are you up for it, Kodiak?” Kody thought for a second. Was he ready to fight? Even though Kyle was his best friend, and he would be helping out the whole Lybrian nation, he didn’t want that weight on his shoulders. But Kyle was his best friend. So he agreed.
“I’ll do it.”
“Excellent!” Juliet exclaimed. “Your healing powers will prove most useful. Your ability of flight is key as well. Don’t worry though, you most likely won’t be alone.”
“Most likely?”
“Yes. At a recent meeting, Kyle’s, Drew Ethan Van Unen’s, and James Schlepi’s guardians have decided that they will help as well. We have formed an alliance called The Code of Law. If Drew and James agree, then you three will fight with Kyle against Alpha Maximus and his followers.” Then Eon spoke and began to slowly walk away, then abruptly stopped and turned.
“Kodiak, I’m so glad you have decided to help. Now go eat. We have much training to do before you go back down to Earth.”
***
James walked from his room where he was greeted by his bird. “Good morning,” James nodded to him. “Come with me, James. We have an important matter to discuss. “ James was confused but followed his winged guardian to the living room. He sat down on the leather chair. His guardians were on the couch next to him.
“Is this about Kyle?” James asked them.
“Yes. He is the Light.” One of them said.
“You never told me this! Are you kidding me?”
“It was for everyone’s, especially his, own good.”
“You always say that. So why are you telling me this now?”
“He needs to be protected. His guardians can’t be much help while he’s on Earth. So we talked to his, Kodiak’s, and Drew’s guardians and-”
“Wait, they know about this too?”
“Kyle just found out who he is, and Kodiak knows, but we have no word from Drew yet. So anyway, we were talking and formed an alliance to protect Kyle from Alpha Maximus and the rest of the Pacts. This alliance is entitled Code of Law. Kodiak has already joined. Are you? But before you answer, just know that your life will never be the same. Life will be very hard from here on out.” James didn’t hesitate to answer. He’s always wanted to be a super hero. Whether he was a sidekick or not, he was going to do something great.
“I will do it!”
“Great,” Jewel, his dog, said. “Training starts in ten minutes. Go get ready.”
***
Drew awoke with a shake. “Get up, boy!” The dingo barked. “Get dressed and meet us down stairs in ten minutes. We are going for a walk.” Drew rolled out of bed reluctantly, and put on a pair of Jean shorts, a white collared shirt, a golf cap, sunglasses, and black sneakers. Then he jogged down to see one of his guardians. “Where are the others?” Drew asked him.
Bentley replied, “Outside. Come. We must discuss some things.” Drew followed Bentley where they were greeted by his other guardians.
“Hello, Drew.” Jasper, his ocelot, acknowledged. “Let’s take a walk.” The four of them walked around the backyard. “So, Drew,” Jasper began.
“Your friend Kyle Walton is in danger.”
“How so?” Drew replied.
“He is the Light, and needs to be protected.”
“The Light? I’ve met the Light and didn’t even know it?”
“You know how important this is. Kyle’s, Kodiak’s, and James’s guardians and we formed an alliance called the Code of Law. With this alliance, we can help protect Kyle on Earth. Would you like to join?”
“Did Kody and James agree?”
“Yes,” The owl spoke this time.
“Do I get to see them again?”
“You will.”
“Then count me in!”
“Very well. We are glad you decided to. Life will be very rough from now on. But you can handle it, right? We have to start training soon, because this is no easy task. Remember this, on Earth, you will not be able to see Kyle until he is touched by a Lybrian. If he isn’t touched, he will appear as a mortal. Just like you and the other Lybrians.”
***
Kody sat on a swing set at the park near his house. James and Drew were going to meet him here soon-it was important that they discuss things to make sure that everyone was on the same page. Kyle, their good friend, was the Light. They all knew what this meant, but they knew that they could only imagine what this could mean.
Kody turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps-James. Kody hoped off the swing-set and approached James.
“So, you got the news?” Kody asked.
“Which news?” James answered with another question. “The one about Kyle being the Light, you getting your hair trimmed, or is there another surprise I don’t know about?”
“The first one. But yes I did cut my hair, thanks for noticing.” An abrupt whistle was then heard in the distance. James and Kody turned around to see Drew walking towards them.
“Glad to see you guys,” Drew greeted.
“You too,” James responded, nodding in acknowledgement. “I’m glad to see both of you, actually.”
“Yeah. Kody, did you get a haircut?”
“Is it really that noticeable?” Kody defensively ran his fingers through his hair.
“It’s not bad. You didn’t cut it much; I like it. Anyway, we need to talk.”
“I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” James said. “So Kyle is the Light. Weird, huh? And now we are a part of protecting him, even weirder.”
“Definitely. We have to come up with a plan of some sort when we get to Earth. Life is going to be different, and we don’t have time to mess around.”
“Do you have any idea if Dakota is going to be here?”
“I don’t think she got accepted into the group. Maybe she’ll come to Earth with us. My guardians told me that Dakota might come with us to Rockfrett, but said nothing about her in the society.”
“I know,” Kody added. “I think I’ve got a plan, whether Dakota is coming or not.” Kody kept talking, and James and Drew had their ears wide open, as they had no idea what they were doing.
***
“Can I come in?” I heard a voice say. I opened the door and saw my Husky, Dylan. I actually had never heard him speak before. It was juvenile but deep. I motioned inside and he sat on my bed. “Can I see the back of your neck?” He asked kindly.
“Sure,” I replied as I sat on the bed next to him. He examined the scratches that Eli had left me.
“Eli gave those to you?” He asked. I nodded. “Don’t worry about him. He can be a jerk sometimes.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “What’s his problem anyway?”
“I don’t know. Your wounds should heal soon.”
“How come you choose now to talk to me?”
“I had no reason to talk before. And now I do. I am here to talk to you about who you are.”
“I know I’m the Light and whatever but I don’t want the responsibility!”
“I get it, but you have to. Or you will get killed.”
“So? Then I get to be a guardian like you.”
“You don’t understand how important this is, Kyle. Then again I don’t expect you to, you just got here. Just try to imagine a world of evil. If the Pacts manage to kill you, the Mystians have no hope and will forever be ruled by the Pacts. Imagine being a slave forever. No breaks or anything. A world of darkness and despair.
The Mystians and Pacts both know of your existence. The Pacts will stop at nothing to kill you, to hunt you down, to torture you for pleasure.”
“It’s that bad?”
“Yes. That is why they need you to show the Pacts their place is not above or below us, but equal. Please accept this. It’s overwhelming I get that, but Lybria need you.”
“Why can’t they bring peace themselves?”
“We have tried and failed countless times. You are their last hope.” I thought about this for a second. Dylan was right. I need to help these people. I was being selfish and a coward. It looks like I didn’t have a choice.
“I’ll do it.” I said vaguely.
“Fantastic! Like you had a choice anyway. The three of us will talk to you some more at dinner. I hear we are having baby back ribs!” I laughed as Dylan jumped off the bed and headed for the door.
“Wait, Dylan!” I called after him. He turned around. “I’m just curious. How come you’re just a puppy? I mean, Eli is a fully grown eagle, and Star is a fully grown tiger, why are you a puppy?”
“I died at the age of thirteen. If you die before the age of eighteen, your animal will be a baby. Eli died when he was forty-nine, and Star when she was thirty-two.”
“Dylan, I’m so sorry. Do you mind if I asked what happened?”
He paused. “Not at all. I was with my best friend, Steven, and we were walking back from a movie at night. A kidnapper came up to Steven and snatched him up. I used my power of lightning to shock the man, making him drop Steven. I told him to run, just as the kidnapper shot me. It happened to hit my mark and I died. The last words I heard Steven say were, ‘Dylan, hang on!’ right before the man shot me. My guardians had told me that Steven got away and called the police. The kidnapper was arrested. I had saved Steven’s life. I watched my funeral. Steven said that it was his fault I died and that he should’ve helped. If I could see him again, I wish I could tell him that it wasn’t his fault, and that I’m glad he ran.” I noticed Dylan get teary eyed and turned away. I called him over. He jumped back on my bed and rested on my lap. I couldn’t blame him. He may be super smart, strong, and experienced, but he is still only thirteen. I stroked his soft fur and whispered, “I’m really sorry. That’s such a terrible thing to go through. Wait, you can watch your own funeral?”
