Heritage

by Rebecca Walton

  Chapter One

  There he was, breathless and waiting. Here I was, completely bored and worrying about if I clicked record for Cheaters. Head in the moment Elle, isn’t that what your father is always telling you. Blowing out a dramatic puff of air, I clenched my fists and readied myself for this demon. He was your average sized male but with a slight limp to his left leg. An advantage that I didn’t particularly need. However it will make for a quick fight and hopefully get me home in time to finish my chores. What exactly was he waiting for, he stood in one spot, his dark eyes glaring into me.

  “Are you waiting for a bus or something?” I asked in annoyance. This seemed to switch his power back on, as he raced towards me. Dirt and rust from the storage yard rose in a cloud as he picked up speed. Still standing in my own little spot, a metre away from an empty shipping container, I waited until he had reached a couple of feet away from me. Then with a quick swing to his stomach with my clenched fist, he crumbled inwards. His arms wrapped around his stomach, as he began spluttering a remark about women and strength.

  “Who sent you?” I asked, tapping my foot against the dusty concrete. His silence as he tried to catch his breath started to drag.

  “I asked you a question” I repeated, my foot finding the top of his neck as he regained his strength. He struggled against the weight of my body as it kept his face inches from the ground. I really don’t have time for this. I have a million and one things to do that didn’t include interrogating a low level demon. Besides, the innocent girl had been saved and the rest of his flock had either fled or been killed. He, apparently, had a villain complex and wouldn’t give up. I’m surprised he isn’t giving me a whole monologue of his evil plan to take over the world. Demons, so cliché.

  “I am so over this. Any last words? No, didn’t think so.” He let out one last grunt before I finished him off with a snap of his neck.

  “Amateurs.”

  With one last look around the empty shipping yard, to check for any witnesses or wandering demons, I orbed in a burst of light. I reappeared in the Bale’s back garden. Beth had left the wheelbarrow and a spade next to the old shed that stood at the back of their garden. A note pinned to its decaying wooden door.

  Remember the pond needs to be deep.

  Brilliant, this is where my strength comes back to haunt me.

  Throwing the last remaining pile of dirt into an old wheelbarrow, that surprisingly had not yet collapsed under the weight of it all. I twisted a stray hair back behind my ear and sighed. The sound of rustling leaves filled my head with thoughts of jumping into piles of leaves as a child. This was not something I would have thought I’d be doing on a Thursday night, funnily enough. Gardening is not my first choice of activities, but for the purpose of keeping up the pretence of being normal, I thought it would be appropriate. My farce mortal life is becoming unbearable with the fact that I’m out all night, fighting demons, and at college all day learning things I already know. My fake parents were not exactly thrilled with my early morning antics either.

  Just two nights ago I was chasing monkey men around the streets at two in the morning. That did not go down well with Beth. My father told me that he wanted me to pretend to be normal. Normal was not exactly what my life was. What exactly is normal about creeping out late at night and fighting evil beings from vampires to evil monkeys. I was never going to be normal, even if I tried to pretend. Lost in thought I did not hear Beth approaching. Looking up from the dirt pile, I noticed Beth watching me, standing in the door way with a puzzled look on her face.

  “I wish you would pay attention to what you were doing Elle,” she exclaimed looking at the pile of dirt at my feet.

  “Oh!” I sighed as I spotted the pile of dirt that had missed the wheelbarrow.

  “I’m Sorry Bet.., I was just…”

  “Just not paying attention,” she interrupted.

  She sighed and walked back inside, shutting the door with force behind her. Glancing back through the porch window, she gave a little pitying shake of her head and began to take off into the kitchen. Oh yes, the disapproving head shake. The guilt producing action that made me feel more pathetic and un wanted than any other action that she could have made. Being a combination of an angel and demon was bad enough, but my inability to do anything right, sure pushed the car over the cliff.

  “Elle! Can you take the wheelbarrow around the front please!” Beth shouted from the backdoor. She still looked at me with a pitiful look on her face.

  “Why?” I asked. I did not want to prolong the conversation, but I also didn’t fancy pushing the wheelbarrow around to the front of the house. It required far too much effort.

  “The Fosters from four doors down want it for their vegetable patch,” She replied.

  “Can’t they use their own dirt?” I asked, wishing after that I had not.

  “Elle,” she sighed.

  “Fine I’ll take it around the front,” I replied in frustration. She thanked me and shut the door behind her as she left me to it once again.

  I moved in with Bales when I was ten. My father decided that I needed to spend time with some mortals so I could learn how they lived. Unaware of how dreadfully boring it would be, I followed his orders. Beth and Bruce already had two children, Robin then twelve and Marcus seven. So Eric being the persuasive man that he is, persuaded them to take me in and raise me as one of their own. It was not like they had a choice in the matter. Even the Bales knew that he was not a person you would like to displease. His royal highness had a way with words or more the physical gestures that went with them. My days of playing in the sunflower fields of Carrey and swimming in Lake Shemia transformed into playing happy families in boring Black Stoke. A place where the sun only shone for five hours a day. It is not like I do not enjoy living as a normal teenager because I do. It is just that sometimes I wish I could be at home with my real family and friends. Rather than hiding my true identity from people whom I cared about.

  As I reminisced on the thought of home, a light sprinkling of water dropped onto my forehead. Of course, it was raining. The weather was not going to lighten my mood. Looking down at my feet I saw the dirt that Beth had seen. I guess I have to move this. Raising my palms above the pile, I looked around to see if anyone would be watching. Glancing back at the dirt I raised my hands and the pile began to levitate. The pile landed in the wheelbarrow with a thud as I flicked my wrists. Why do it the human way when the magic way was so much easier? Picking up the spade that I had been using from the floor and throwing it into the wheelbarrow, I made my way out of the back garden.

  A heavy rainfall started to develop as I pushed the wheelbarrow up the drive. Pulling my jacket up to my chin to shelter from the cold wind that had started to pick up, I parked the wheelbarrow in the garage and headed inside. Stepping into the warm hall way I could hear the chatter from the kitchen. I tried to block it out as I undid my jacket and hung it on the banister of the stairs, like always.

  “What about Elle?” Bruce muttered without any real interest.

  “Maybe we should ask him what we should do.” Beth was worrying again.

  “About what.”

  “About the sneaking around.”

  “Who’s sneaking around?”

  Bruce was oblivious to most things that went on in the world that did not involve a ball and a goal. So it did not surprise me that he had not noticed the late night escapes I had been making.

  “Bruce! Please listen to me!” She slammed her hand down over the paper he had appeared to be reading.

  Stepping into the kitchen, I walked nosily to the fridge and pulled out a can of coke. Beth straightened up and began casually walking to the sink and began to wash the same plate over and over again. I sighed and sat down at the table in the chair facing Br
uce.

  Opening the can of coke with my finger, it gave out a crackle. Bruce looked up from his paper and gave me an odd look before going back to reading the sports section.

  “I’m sorry,” I sighed as I took a swig of the coke. The cold liquid trickled down my throat and made me shiver.

  Beth dropped the clean plate back into the sink with a clatter and came to put her arms around me.

  “What are you sorry for dear,” she whispered. I knew she was expecting me to say something ridiculous like, oh I’ve just blew a tornado in your front garden so you now no longer have a car. She did not understand my nature and thought I was a freak. Taking a deep breath I stared at her with a calmed expression.

  “I’ll be gone in a year you know that,” I explained

  “We don’t want you to go,” she lied as she took a seat next to me. I gritted my teeth before taking another swig of coke.

  “I know,” I lied. “But I will be going home to Gracia when I finish college. So you can go back to your normal lives without me.”

  “Oh, dear, we don’t want you to feel like you can’t stay here with us, We love having you around…Its just…”

  “The sneaking around,” I interrupted, “I heard.”

  “We just wish you could tell us when you were out, so we do not have to worry about you,” She sighed.

  “I’m sorry Beth, but I don’t know when there is going to be an occasion, when I have to get up and go. I’m always on the clock, and by my father’s orders when he calls, I go running,” I explained taking another sip of my drink.

  “We know child,” Bruce spoke folding up his paper and placing it on the checked table cloth.

  “You have such an extraordinary life. Do you not wish you could become normal and live like us for the rest of your life,” He asked.

  “No. Well sometimes, it’s hard to think about when what I am is so essential to this world. Not to sound big headed or anything but I’m needed,” I replied. It was true. If I ever chose to become human then, the world of good and evil would be unbalanced. Humans would be at risk of being taken over by demons.

  “I’m just not normal,” I sighed.

  Before they could respond I felt my mobile vibrate. I sprang up to answer it, just a little bit faster than human speed and Beth gasped before fleeing to finish the washing up.

  Ignoring her I answered the phone.

  “Hello?” I greeted, quite glad that I had an excuse to avoid the agony of having to be subject to another Bales discussion on normal and not normal.

  “Hey, E how is it going?”

  “Alex! I’m glad it’s you!” Alex was my best friend from Gracia. She was also a witch but a different kind. Unlike me, she has only a few gifts. The main one being the ability to teleport herself, which meant she was able to appear and reappear anywhere in the world. This is helpful when your best friend lives in a different realm.

  “What’s up?” She asked, the concern in her voice noticeable.

  “The usual,” I groaned. I could hear the movement of chairs coming from the kitchen and decided to brace the weather and go outside. Luckily the rain had begun to slow, so I would not get too wet.

  “You still there?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, unfortunately. I just moved outside before I get burned at the stake.”

  “Ok..I was ringing to say we are hunting tomorrow night.”

  “What! Tomorrow is Friday,” I moaned. “Ok I suppose I have no choice.”

  “Cheer up chuck. You will be home soon I miss you, Bye.”

  “Miss you too, Bye.” Whilst shutting the phone, I felt the rain pick up and decided to head back into the fire.

  As I entered the house I could hear the TV blurring in the front room, deciding that I could not deal with another family night in front of the TV, I decided to head upstairs to my room. Walking up the stairs, I was greeted by Robin. With a grimace, Robin walked past and carried on down the stairs, making sure she banged on every step, to emphasise the annoyance she felt towards me. Marcus was not as bothered by my appearance in the family as his sister and his parents were. He just disliked me for the attention I had been given by his parents. There were days when we all did live like we were a normal family, without a teenage witch living amongst them and those days were good, but to me they were not real. I’m not like them no matter how much I try and pretend to be, the outcome is the same. I’m not human, and I will never be.

  As I stepped into my room, I stopped to look at the pictures on my wall, I had a group of human friends that I hung out with during the week days. Poppy was one of my best friends, I had met her when I was thirteen and have been friends ever since. She did not know my heritage and just thought I had been adopted by the Bales when I was ten. I was not going to tell her my full story. One because she may not believe me and think I was a nut case, and another reason would be if she knew, she would be in danger. Flopping onto my bed, I looked around my little room, it consisted of a single bed, a desk and a small wardrobe. The wallpaper was pink and had blue stars as a border. My television was on a corner stand above a floor length mirror that faced my bed. It was the smallest room I had ever had. It was one fifth the size of my room in Gracia and the bed was tiny compared to my four poster, queen sized bed at my real home. As I laid my head on the pillow, I felt my eyes start to droop. An early night is exactly what I needed to get my body back in full working order, I thought as I drifted into a deep sleep.

  ***

  I woke up to the light shining in through my bedroom window. The rain had cleared up from the night before, and the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds. Jumping out of bed I glanced at my face in the mirror.

  “Mirror, Mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all,” I chanted. I put on the pale yellow dress that I found hanging on one of my bed posts and went back to standing in front of the mirror.

  “Well as always, this is the best it is going to get,” I sighed as I slid a golden butterfly clip into my hair. Grabbing my bag from my desk I raced downstairs.

  Stepping into the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs greeted. Beth was standing at the cooker preparing what seemed to be a bacon sandwich. The Bales house was extremely old fashioned. The kitchen consisted of a row of cupboards with counter tops, cluttered with the essential microwave, toaster, kettle and other appliances. The colour scheme was a combination of greens and yellows, with the wallpaper decorated with pink and yellow birds. Very old fashioned but that was Beth’s taste, She looked old fashioned, with long ginger hair that was always tied back in a bun and her face was always made up. I think if she let her hair down once in a while and wore some bright clothes she could pass for thirty. Ten years younger than she is. Ignoring Robin who was at the kitchen table with her morning coffee, I went to the lower cupboard and took out a breakfast bar. Beth looked up from the cooker and gave me a smile, I did not have time to strike up meaningless conversation as I was already running late for college. Giving her a quick smile back I reached for my car keys and headed for the door to my awaiting yellow Volkswagen beetle.

  As I drove around the corner, I could see a row of police cars cutting up my route to college. Just what I need, it is not as if I am running late as it is. Parking up next to the furthest police car, I could not see any wreckage from a car accident. Why else would four police cars be here if, not for an accident? Stepping out of the car I spotted a police officer perched on his car bonnet.

  “Excuse me, what’s gone off?” I asked

  “Here lady, you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe,” He replied rising from his position and gesturing for me to go back to my car. Following his extremely rude order, I went back to my car and sat behind the wheel staring at him. Across from the sitting officer were two other officers that looked as if they were senior members. They were talking whilst staring at something at their feet. Leaning towards my window and opening it slightly; just enough so that I could use my extra hearing to pick up what their conversation was about. I was neve
r one for prying, but I was too intrigued.

  “Have you ever seen marks like this before?”One of the men asked in a slight Scottish accent.

  “Never, she was burned to a cinder. Nothing remained apart from her bracelet and a pile of ash.”

  The other man handed over the silver charm bracelet to a man who was collecting objects from the floor, most likely for evidence. As I wound the window back up I went over what they said in my mind, burned to a cinder. That has to be the work of a demon but why would they be around here. It’s not the typical place that demons hunt. There must have been a reason why they set out for this certain person and why they would risk exposure. This person must have been high up on one of their hit lists. No, I was just jumping to conclusions. It was probably a freak accident. Not convincing myself, I decided I’d call Alex during my lunch break, and she could do a paranormal search of the crime scene. Poor girl, I thought as I drove around the police cars and turned to drive a different route to college.

  Before I turned the corner, my eye caught the stone bricked building that had been my refuge in the mortal world. Sainsdun College was one place where I felt normal. Like all the other mortals, not having to chase demons and other mythical creatures. I had a group of friends that knew nothing of my heritage and treated me like any other person. Pulling into the car park, I parked up next to a purple mini cooper which was a funky looking car, I have to admit. I’d love to know who owned it, most likely one of the popular kids that did not care what people thought. You would have to be to drive an attention radar like that. Before I could even reach for the car door handle, the door had already opened and Poppy had begun to drag me out of the car, almost making me fall on to the floor in the process.

  “What the hell Pops?” I exclaimed. Ignoring me, she continued to pull me to the back of the mini and there standing against it, was a man who was at least six feet tall with short dark brown layered hair. He was dressed in a Fred Perry jumper with jeans. He looked like something out of step ford wives. He was surrounded by a group of girls looking at him as if he was a god. I’ve seen gods, and he was not one of them.