by N M Thorn
“Please, come in,” she said stepping to the side to let them walk in. She turned to Tessa and held out her hand. “My name is Angelique.” Tessa shook her hand, introducing herself.
“Angie,” said Zane, “Tessa is the girl I told you about.”
“Yes, of course,” said Angelique, gesturing toward the couch. “Please sit down. I’ll be right back.”
She walked out of the room and came back a minute later with a small box in her hand. The box had a tiny antenna and five lightbulbs at the top. She waved at Zane impatiently.
“Zane, come on. You know how this works – stand behind me. Your presence will drive this machine crazy. I want to check Tessa only.”
Angelique turned on the device, pointing it at Tessa and peered at the gage. At the beginning, the arrow on the gage remained still, but a few seconds later, the device buzzed angrily. The arrow zoomed all the way to the right and all five lightbulbs went up with the bright red light.
“Wow!” exclaimed Angelique, shutting down the device and staring at Tessa in awe. “You’re so… Wait, what are you?” She turned to Zane. “You were right. She’s not a medium.”
Another dead-end, thought Tessa, rising. She glanced at Zane but quickly averted her eyes, a heavy weight of disappointment settling in her heart.
“Tessa, hold on, don’t give up hope so easily.” Zane walked up to her and bent down slightly to find her eyes. “We’re not done yet. That was just a magic detector. So now we know that you have magic and your magic is powerful. But we still need to find out what you are.”
“That’s right.” Angelique came to the rescue immediately. “Sit down, Tessa. Let’s do the reading now. I’m sure, between the three of us, we’ll figure it out.”
Tessa threw a gaze at Zane and he nodded encouraging her to do what Angelique was asking. She sat down on the couch and spread her hands.
“Okay, I’m sitting,” she said, “now what?”
“Now, put your hands palms up on the table and relax,” said Angelique. She pulled a small stool and sat down across the table from Tessa.
Tessa put her hands on the table and Angelique lowered her hands, holding them just an inch above hers. Tessa felt a soft stream of heat exiting Angelique’s hands and traveling down into her palms and then higher, up her arms and shoulders. The warmth was pleasant and calming and Tessa wanted to close her eyes and relax.
As if reading her thoughts, Angelique smiled and said, “Close your eyes, if you want. I need you to completely relax and let go.”
Tessa closed her eyes. The warmth was slowly traveling through her body, accumulating somewhere in her chest and it felt so good and so comforting, she never wanted it to end.
“Relax… relax… let it go… let it all go…”
Tessa heard Angelique’s soft voice and smiled. It sounded like a lullaby. Memories of her mom flashed in her mind. She saw herself, a five-year-old girl, her mom tucking her into bed, singing that song… What was that song? Tessa wanted to remember the song her mom used to sing, but her mind was traveling too fast down memory lane and she knew that she wasn’t the one who was behind the steering wheel… Now she was a teenager and she was talking with her mom about her future, college, and dental school. How much she wanted to come back to this time… Her life was perfect. She was living a dream and she didn’t even realize that.
The heat wave rushed through her body and Tessa exhaled, the feeling was so intense that her breath came out almost like a gasp. The heat accumulated in her chest, expending wider, circling somewhere around her heart. Her hands were getting warmer and warmer, almost burning hot. She remembered Zane waking up this morning, his body surrounded by smoldering heat and smiled. What she felt right now was almost like as if she touched him…
The change came unexpectantly, brutally ripping Tessa out of her sweet oblivion and tossing her back into the paranormal nightmare of her current life. She felt Angelique’s hands tremble, now touching her open palms. Tessa opened her eyes, just in time to see a bright lightning bolt originating in her hands and striking Angelique on her chest. Angelique was thrown off her stool. She flew back a few feet, hitting the wall. Zane rushed to her side, quickly checking her pulse.
Tessa gasped and ran to Angelique, who was unconscious on the floor. “Zane, I don’t know what happened!” she panted, having a hard time speaking as anxiety clawed its way into her throat. “I swear… I didn’t do anything.”
Zane raised his eyes to her and she didn’t find anything there except understanding and concern. “Calm down, Tessa,” he said, his voice soft and composed. “I know you didn’t’ do anything wrong. Angelique is going to be fine… look… she’s coming back.”
Tessa knees shook, and she had to sit down on the floor next to him. Angelique opened her eyes, her hands traveled to her chest and she moaned. Zane carefully lifted her off the floor and sat her down on the couch, putting a pillow behind her back for extra comfort.
“Angie, are you okay?” he asked squatting in front of her and taking her trembling hands into his.
Tessa watched him taking care of Angelique, holding her hands in his and she caught herself thinking that she wanted him to care about her as much. She wanted to know how it felt to have someone worry about her, hold her hand when she was hurt or comfort her when she was crying.
Angelique sat up and gently stroked his cheek with her delicate fingers, her eyes caressing his face with a lot more affection than her fingers. “Zane, I’m fine, don’t worry,” she said, her voice raspy and still a little constrained. She glanced at Tessa and her brows drew together. “Tessa, I couldn’t finish the reading. I’m sorry, but you and your powers are guarded.”
“Guarded?” echoed Tessa.
“You have a Guardian who is shadowing your power and protecting you,” explained Angelique.
“She had a Guardian,” corrected Zane quietly, rising. “I think Tessa’s mom was a Guardian Witch. Do you know anything about them?”
“Was?” asked Angelique, her expression surprised and troubled at the same time.
“My mom passed away a couple of years ago,” explained Tessa.
“I’m sorry,” said Angelique, sympathy in her gaze. “I don’t know much about the Guardians. It’s an ancient secret order of highly-gifted and powerful witches. They act upon orders of the Destiny Council and the only person they communicate directly with is the Destiny Keeper. They don’t accept into their circle just anyone with magic. One has to be an extremely powerful and talented witch to be considered. But one thing I know for sure. If a Guardian is no longer able to perform their duty, a second Guardian is sent.
“So, after your mom passed away, I’m sure that the Guardians sent another witch to shadow your powers. Maybe she’s not doing the same work as your mom used to do, but I still couldn’t read you. As soon as I got closer to the source of your magic, I got zapped. Someone is definitely guarding you. The questions still remain – what you are and why the Guardians think that it’s important that neither you nor anyone else find the answer to the first question.”
“How can we find this other Guardian?” asked Zane.
“I don’t know,” said Angelique, shaking her head. “It would be someone who either lives or works close to Tessa’s home. But other than that, there is nothing that can help you to single out this person in a crowd. The Guardians are the masters of disguise and even a powerful magical being like you are, Zane, won’t be able to sense the Guardian’s magical energy. After all – making things invisible is their core skill, right?”
“Right,” said Zane, his expression closed up. He turned to Tessa. “I guess, we should start looking for your Guardian, Tessa. This is the only way to find out anything about what you are.”
Tessa turned her face away. She didn’t want Zane to see how she felt at this moment. For the first time since she found out that her mom was a Guardian, she asked herself this question. What kind of scary magic did she have in her that an ancient secret organization of witche
s had to hide her power not only from the world but even from herself. Was her power evil? Was she evil?
“Zane,” she croaked, “am I evil?”
“What?” he muttered, frowning. “Come on, Tessa. I already told you that I can’t sense any dark energy in you.”
“What if the Guardians are shadowing the evil in me? You wouldn’t be able to sense anything, would you!” she yelled, her voice breaking on a high-pitched note.
“Tessa…” Zane moved his hand to touch her, but she staggered back, away from his touch. If she was evil, she shouldn’t be anywhere next to him or next to any people she loved and cared about. She was putting all of them in danger. Tessa was barely able to breathe as she stared at Zane, her eyes wide with fear.
“Tessa, stop,” said Angelique, seizing her arm. “You’re not evil. I’m hundred percent positive. The Guardians would never send their people to guard any evil being. That I know for a fact. They guard people whose powers are highly caveated in the world of magic. These people’s powers could be dangerous, but never evil. Do you understand me?”
Tessa wasn’t sure that she understood everything that Angelique just said to her. But the part where the Guardians do not guard evil people was enough to get her to start thinking clearly.
“Thank you, Angelique, for everything,” she said, smiling weakly at her. Angelique just nodded to her, warmth of sympathy gleaming in her eyes.
Tessa turned to Zane and took his hand in hers. She didn’t know why she expected that he would pull away from her touch, but he didn’t, and a small spark of happiness ignited in her heart.
“Zane, can we go now?”
He nodded.
“Just not my home, okay?”
He gave her a half-smile and nodded again.
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz took the 595, driving back toward Coral Springs. Tessa wasn’t asking where they were going, and he decided to take her to Missi’s Kitchen for a quick lunch. The atmosphere of the restaurant was always relaxing, and he thought that Tessa could use a few minutes of peace after everything that just happened.
Angelique’s magic wasn’t enough to break through the Guardian’s spells. The only other person who he could ask for help was Kal. Gunz sighed, biting his lip, thinking about summoning the Great Salamander tonight after he took Tessa back home.
He parked his Mercedes in a small parking lot on the back of the restaurant and walked around the car to open the door for Tessa. Before he got around, she opened the door, jumped out of the car and stuck out her tongue at him. He just smiled and shook his head. She was so young, just a child. Why at such a young age she was already up to her ears in this supernatural chaos? Why her?
“I thought we could do with a quick lunch,” he said pointing at the restaurant. “I like this place. Food is nothing special, but it’s quiet and relaxing.”
“I’m starving,” said Tessa. “I’ll eat just about anything right now.”
They walked through the parking lot and entered the semi-dark room. After the blistering heat of the midday sun in combination with the sticky South Florida humidity, the coolness of the air-conditioned space felt like a blessing. The restaurant was almost empty. A few people were sitting at the back table, but the rest of the tables were unoccupied.
Gunz made his way to the bar and stopped there, waiting for Missi to come out from the kitchen. He could hear her voice behind a half-open door, giving some instructions to her chef.
“Do you usually sit here?” asked Tessa, sitting down on one of the bar stools.
“Yes,” replied Gunz, “but if you prefer to take a table or go outside, we can do it.”
“The bar is fine. I can see why you like it here,” said Tessa, turning her barstool around and leaning her back against the counter. “The place has this vibe of calmness and silent acceptance. You know what I mean? It’s like you can just be yourself and no one ever would ask a question or judge.”
Gunz smirked, throwing a quick glance at her. “You got all that from being here for a whole two minutes, oh wise one?”
Missi walked out of the kitchen, tucking a fresh white towel behind her black apron. She stopped in front of Gunz and nodded to him. Then her gaze shifted to Tessa and her eyes widened for a split-second. The change in her expression was so momentary that normally no one would notice it, but Gunz caught this small transformation and a warning flag went up in his mind. Why was Missi so shocked? Is it because he was here with Tessa? Or was there something else? With the kind of lifestyle he lived, it could never be a normal explanation. There was always a supernatural catch.
This is my supernatural-free place, thought Gunz, forcefully folding down all the red flags, the place where I can live a resemblance of a normal life. For once, there should be a normal explanation.
Like an answer to this thought, Missi smiled and wiped the bar counter, placing the menu in front of Tessa and him.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Burns,” she said with her usual cheerfulness, “I was a little shocked to see you accompanied by a woman. You’re always alone. That’s a welcome change.” She winked at Tessa. “Who is this beautiful young lady that finally tamed the beast?”
Gunz chuckled. Here is my normal explanation, he thought with relief.
“Hi Missi. This is Tessa,” he made an introduction. “Just don’t call her lady, if you want to live to see another day.”
Tessa smiled uncomfortably, throwing a killer look at Gunz. He caught her gaze and raised his hands up, grinning. “Hey, I just said the truth. No need to get violent.”
“I guess it would be too early to order your usual, Mr. Burns?” asked Missi checking the wall clock. “What can I get for you?”
“It’ll be a while before I can order the usual again,” said Gunz, throwing a wistful look at the bottle with Russian vodka. “Just get me a hamburger and French fries, please.”
Missi wrote his order on her small notepad and turned to Tessa. “And for you, Tessa?”
“The same for me, please,” said Tessa, smiling shyly, giving her back the menu.
Missi put the menus away in a plastic holder and walked away to the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, Tessa touched Gunz’s hand gently.
“Mr. Burns?” she asked, giggling. “So, what is that usual that you can’t have for a while and why can’t you have it?”
Gunz glanced at the shelf with alcohol wondering how he should answer this question. He didn’t like lying to his friends, but sometimes it was necessary to protect them. In the case of Tessa, he decided to stick to the truth as much as was possible.
“Vodka,” he replied unwillingly, waving his hand at the shelf. “I usually come here in the evening to get a drink. After work and martial arts training, sometimes I feel like I need to unwind a little. So, I drink.”
He was expecting her to get surprised or disgusted or at least say something, but she didn’t. She just nodded, staring straight forward.
“Aidan is overly tough on you,” she murmured. “I don’t know what came over him. The way he treated you, I’m not surprised you needed a drink.”
“Yeah, no… It’s not about Aidan. He doesn’t like me, and he probably has his reasons for that,” Gunz said, thinking back to the last Taekwondo practice. “I’ve been coming here for almost a year. My job is a bit on the stressful side. And the latest assignment requires me to have a clear head twenty-four seven. So, no vodka for me for a while.”
“You know, you never told me what you do for living,” said Tessa, meeting his eyes in the reflection in the mirror behind the shelf.
Missi arrived from the kitchen sporting a large round tray with their food. Gunz watched her unloading the plates, thinking that he was saved by the bell. He wasn’t sure that it was a good idea to tell Tessa that he was working for the FBI. He couldn’t take a chance of her telling Aidan about that. First, he was supposed to be undercover, hence no one should know that he was an FBI consultant. Second, that could complicate his already strained relationshi
p with Master McGrath.
It was late afternoon, when they left Missi’s Kitchen. Gunz could feel that Tessa was doing everything to postpone the moment when he had to take her back home. She was eating slowly, without looking at him and at the end she didn’t object him paying for their meal. After they were done with their food, she asked him if he wouldn’t mind going for a walk and they spent a while just sauntering along the canal. She looked pensive and he didn’t want to bother her, silently walking by her side. By the time they finally got in the car, it was close to 5 PM.
As they neared Tessa’s condominium building, the tension inside the car became palpable. Gunz threw a glance at Tessa’s face and sighed. Clearly, she didn’t want to go home. He drove the car and parked it next to her building. She threw one tortured gaze at him but didn’t say anything and pushed the door open, ready to leave.
“Tessa, hold on,” said Gunz, taking her elbow. She looked at him over her shoulder, a question in her deep brown eyes. “I can see that you’re not ready to go back home. Am I right?”
She nodded, sliding back into the car seat but leaving the door open. Her head was bowed down to her chest and she looked like a little girl, ready to cry.
“Listen, you can stay at my place one more night,” offered Gunz. Everything inside him was screaming that he was making a mistake, but he just couldn’t say no to her silent plea. “Let’s go to your apartment and get whatever you need. Okay?”
Her face lit up with happiness in a momentary change of mood. They went to Tessa’s apartment and she twirled around the place like a hurricane, quickly collecting everything she needed for the night. In less than five minutes, she assembled a small bag and couldn’t wait to be out of her apartment.
