“And what does your kind do?” She says, not missing a beat.
I clear my throat. “The Children of the Sun have the gift to heal humans and also take their lives. It’s a complicated process, and you’ve made it clear you don’t have much time for explanations.”
“Not for now, anyway. But I’m intrigued. An Immortal?”
“Yes. But it’s only symbolic. You can be killed, and you have a limited lifespan, just like we do.”
“Are the Children of the Sun and the Immortals allies?” She says, continuing to drill me. This girl is something else.
“No. They are, in fact, mortal enemies. I’m an outcast and have decided to join a tribe of Immortals in secret to help with the extermination of the Fire-Eaters.”
“Interesting.” Excitement flares in her eyes, and one side of her mouth goes up in a crooked smile. “I’ve got to go to class, but you can count me in one hundred percent. Can we meet after school?”
“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” I say. “Main entrance? The tree?”
“Sure thing.” She says, standing up. “See you later, Daniel.” She walks away without looking back.
Well…that was another first. I watch Piper walk away until she enters a classroom at the end of the hallway, and then I stand up to continue exploring.
The Immortals drafting process is definetely different.
Witches employed by my kind give us the exact place and time, down to the minute, when a potential new Sun-Child will manifest its powers. We have to let it happen, of course, since the witches have been wrong in the past and we can’t just go kidnapping random children. But once we have proof of the first kill, it is game over for them.
But hey, it’s not for me to decide how other tribes run their business.
So far, I’ve recruited two Immortals and it’s not even noon. That’s pretty good, if I may say so myself.
I walk down the hallway and peek through the small door windows into the classrooms.
I see different variations of the same scene in all of them. Kids doodling in their notebooks, sleeping on their desks, and a few sitting up front and listening attentively to the lecture while furiously taking notes. I vaguely wonder which type of student I would have ended up being if I had a normal adolescence.
I see nothing else that piques my interest, so I decide to go down to the first floor and see if I find anything there. I glance around every now and then to make sure no one is following me. It would be difficult to explain to any school authority why I’m here and how I got in.
All of a sudden, a loud bell starts to ring, making me cringe.
Kids bustle out of their classrooms and swarm the hallways, a thousand voices talking at the same time. They shove me out of the way, and some even give me dirty looks. My nerves are on end, my fear of crowds instantly kicking in, and I can think of nothing else to do but stay right where I am and wait until the kids go back to their classrooms.
During the time it takes for the bell to ring again, I have been pushed out of the way and stared at more than I could have ever tolerated in any other situation. Finally, it’s over, and the animals go back to their classes.
What is this hell?
Suddenly I’m glad I never got the chance to go to High School.
A group of students wearing sport uniforms walk down the hallway and out to the school grounds after the bell rings. A man in sweatpants, sneakers, and a polo shirt leads the way.
Jackpot.
I take a deep breath and wait for a minute before walking out to the school grounds, following them. The security guard by the entrance eyes me curiously, but says nothing. I guess I look enough like a teenager to not raise any suspicions. The students run out onto the football field. The fat coach blows his whistle, and the boys start running laps around the field.
The more physically fit boys run faster than the rest, but not fast enough to catch my attention.
I stay back and sit down behind some bushes with my back to the school wall to quietly observe the kids. The finish running, and a friendly co-ed game of football begins. I see nothing out of the ordinary except for some real exceptional athletes and fast runners. Exceptional and fast for humans, that is.
I’m about to give up on this and run up a wall to get into the school again when I hear a football pop. I search the players until I find the source of the sound: the quarterback of one of the teams is holding the deflated remains of the football in his hands. He’s a tall, burly blond.
“Gosh darn it, Lowell! You’ve been popping balls left and right!” The coach yells, and my ears automatically perk up.
“Sorry, Coach.”
“You’re going to have to start paying me for every ball you deflate!” The coach says, spit flying out of his mouth. “Are you on something, boy?”
“No, Coach.” He mumbles.
“Well, there’s no other explanation for this. The school has no tolerance for any substance abuse on the part of its athletes!” The coach continues to yell, and I cringe. Is this guy unable to speak in a regular tone of voice? “I can turn a blind eye during practices, but this is P.E. You know you’re my star player, Lowell, but I’m going to have to talk to your mother and have her submit you for a blood test. I mean, it’s not normal, kid.”
“Yes, Coach.”
“You know I do it because I care.”
The boy looks down at his shoes again.
“Everybody round up!” The coach calls. “Let’s do some cool down stretches.”
The students form a circle around him, and all the girls are looking at the Lowell boy and giggling, but he stretches without looking or talking to anyone.
The coach blows his whistle again and shouts, “Class dismissed!” and all the students scatter and walk back into the building. I quickly crawl deeper behind the bushes to avoid being noticed. The students and the coach walk by without seeing me. Lowell lags behind, putting his hands in his pockets and looking downcast.
I have to make my move now, or I’ll miss my opportunity.
I wait for him until he’s near the bushes and then stand up. “Hey, wait up!” I whisper.
“Oh my God!” He yells, taking a few steps back and squaring his arms in front of his body on instinct.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best approach.
“What in the—” He starts to say.
“Shh! Be quiet!” I interrupt him. “I have something important to tell you, and it has to be fast before your teacher comes to look for you.”
“How long have you been hiding there? Who are you?” He takes a few more steps back.
“Just listen to me!” I urge. “I know why you popped that ball.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re suddenly stronger than everybody else, aren’t you?” I say, speaking so fast the words blur into each other. “And you feel as if you can’t control it.”
His opens his mouth and tries to say something, but no words come out. Then he shuts it, narrows his eyes at me, and nods.
“I can explain everything to you,” I assure him. “Just meet me by the tree at the front entrance of the school at the end of the school day.”
“Wait, what do you mean you can explain everything? Who are you? You know what’s happening to me?” His tone of voice is a mixture between suspicion and hope.
“Yes, I have answers.” I say quickly.
The school doors open, and the voice of the sweatpants-wearing, spit-throwing coach calls out from around the corner.
“Lowell? Where are you, kid? Don’t be stirring up more trouble, you hear me, boy?”
“My name is Brandon, by the way. Brandon Lowell.” He says, turning to me before running back to the school.
I wait for a while. When I see no one around, I walk out of the bushes. I should run up the wall again and continue looking for more Immortals, but the thought of being surrounded by a swarm of hostile little snot-faced kids again makes me shudder.
Besides, th
ree finds in one day is good enough for me. So instead of continuing my search, I go to the only bookshop in town and buy a paperback epic fantasy book that will keep me entertained until three o’clock in the afternoon, when I would go back to the school and meet up with the drafted.
I go to the park and immerse myself in the book, instead of going back to my apartment and waking Shane up. The book is about this girl who has to end a war between her people and some other dudes in a far-off land. There are swords, there’s fights, and there’s dragons.
And I’m in bliss.
Before I know it, it’s two thirty. I reluctantly close the book—no, the masterpiece—and walk back to the school grounds to meet up with the kids who are to become my allies, when a year ago, they would have been nothing less than my sworn enemies for life.
The Fledglings
“Is this the guy?” A sour-looking girl in a cheerleading uniform asks Kyle as I approach the tree at the main entrance of the school grounds. There are four kids waiting for me under the shade of the large tree. Piper, Brandon, and Kyle are there, plus the bitter-sounding cheerleader.
“Hey, guys. Glad you could make it.” I say, as if this is just a regular hang out. Kyle grins and says “Hey,” and Brandon nods, but there’s no reaction from anybody else.
“So... Piper, Brandon, and Kyle, I know why you’re here. I invited you.” I say. “But who is this?” I ask, pointing at the newcomer.
“This is Alesha Carter; she’s sub-captain of the cheerleading team, and she’s in my grade,” Kyle says.
“Can we please not tell the story about how you found out I was a complete freak?” Alesha squeals, a little too loudly.
“One of her friends was bothering her in class, and she’s always had temper problems.” Kyle says, ignoring her, and Alesha buries her face in her hands. “So she was trying to control herself as best she could, but then she totally flipped. She grabbed her binder, tore it in half, and threw the pieces at this girl’s face. It was insane! And she was suspended and everything!” Kyle cracks up.
“Okay, fine! It’s true, I have temper problems, but that’s clearly not the issue at hand.” Alesha says, turning red. “Can we move on, please?”
“That’s enough, Kyle,” I say, and then turn to her. “But I do have to ask if your binder-breaking feat was not just a result of your increased adrenaline rush. You have had similar episodes of super strength before?”
“Yes, I have.” She says, giving a small sniffle. “I’ve been hurting my teammates in cheer practice lately, and I really don’t mean to. I just can’t seem to control myself. Everyone thinks I’m doing it on purpose, and they’re all turning against me.”
“It’s okay, Alesha.” I try to sound sympathetic. “I know it’s not your fault. And it’s wrong of you to laugh at someone’s problems.” I tell Kyle. “Aren’t you going through the same thing? Don’t you also feel alienated, scared, confused?”
“Sorry, Alesha,” Kyle murmurs. “I shouldn’t have made fun of you. I know you’re going through a lot. We all are, I guess.”
“Thanks,” Alesha accepts the apology stiffly.
“I guess you’re all wondering why you’re here.” I say in the most businesslike tone I can muster.
“My name is Daniel Maze for those of you who don’t know, and I am part of a secret race of people called The Children of the Sun.” I tell them about myself, and about Shane, and the fire eaters and the Immortals. At the end of my explanation, four sets of eyes are staring back at me, all wide.
“Okay, I’m going to walk away very slowly now,” Brandon says. “Because you’re obviously insane.”
Hmm…Maybe knocking people out cold does have its benefits.
Kyle clears his throat. “I believe what he says.”
I smile at him.
“You believe aliens are living among us, Kyle.” Alesha says, scoffing. “You’d believe anything any madman like him feeds you.”
Great. Now I’m a madman.
“First of all, aliens are living among us, the evidence is conclusive.” Kyle says. “Second of all, what other explanation is there for what is happening to us?”
“Yeah, I agree with Kyle,” Piper says. “Not on the alien part, although technically we don’t know.”
“Of course you would agree with him, freak.” Alesha says under her breath.
Piper rolls her eyes. “Very original.”
“Guys, there has to be another explanation,” Brandon interrupts. The girls glare at each other. “I mean, this is crazy talk.” He says.
“Is it now?” I say.
“Yeah, it is,” Alesha snaps back, crossing her arms. “If what you’re saying is true, then prove it.”
I sigh. “Fine.” I turn my back to them and start walking towards the football field. “Follow me.” I say, briefly turning around to face them. Brandon and Alesha flash each other wary looks, but when Piper and Kyle start following me, they do too.
We reach the field. Thankfully, there’s no one around to witness what I’m about to do, or I would’ve had to cancel my little show. “Watch me carefully,” I say, handing the book I’m carrying over to Kyle.
Alesha puts her hands on her hips and taps her foot. “Well? I’m waiting.”
I take off, jogging leisurely around the field. I hear Kyle laughing. Then I start to speed up some, and then some more. The laughter stops abruptly as I run faster and faster around the field.
My vision turns tunnel-like, and I can only see what’s in front of me, everything around me passing by in a blur. I know that by now, I must look like nothing more than a shadow under the sun to them. I don’t go as fast as I can, just enough to prove to them that I’m telling the truth. I take one last lap and then stop dead in my tracks right in front of Alesha. She backs up in alarm, her jaw dropping comically.
“Enough proof for you?” I say, wiping the sweat on my forehead with my shirt.
“W-whoa!” Brandon stutters.
“Dude, that was awesome!” Kyle says. “See, told you guys he was for real!”
Alesha’s face is ashen.
“Now you believe him?” Piper says.
“I guess…” Brandon says, shaking his head.
“Listen, I know you guys have just met me,” I say. “And I get that this is a lot to process, but there’s a whole world out there that you don’t know about. A world of death and war, and even magic.” All of them stare at me, hanging on my every word. “For some reason, you have been chosen by fate to be a part of that world. My world.” I put a hand to my chest. “It’s a leap of faith, but you have to trust me. I’m here to help.”
Brandon nods. “I could give this a shot,” He says, letting out a breath. “After what you showed us… It’s a lot to take in, but I could give this a shot.”
“Yeah,” Alesha says in a small voice, and I’m surprised that she’s agreeing with him.
“What do we do?” Kyle asks.
“I want you to meet your tribe leader, Shane,” I say. “He’s waiting for us at my place.”
Brandon’s face goes dark. “You want us to go with you, a complete stranger, to some place we have never been before to meet someone we don’t know is real?”
I slap my face with my hand and grunt in frustration. “Fine!” I yell. “We can meet at the park, or some other equally public place. Seriously, guys, do I look like I’m a serial killer or something?”
They cast each other dubious looks.
“Don’t answer that,” I murmur. “So the park, six o’clock?” I turn around and start walking away when Brandon speaks up.
“Wait,” He says, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I guess we can give this whole ‘trusting you’ thing a shot. Besides, if this is some sort of trap, I’m pretty confident I can beat you up pretty badly.”
“And I am pretty confident I can defeat a new Immortal fledgling without breaking a sweat.” I say, but then I give them the directions to my place.
“Hey!” Piper catches up to me
and hands me the book I’d given Kyle to hold. She walks by my side. “I never doubted you for a second.”
“Yeah?” I say, not slowing down.
“I kind of have this bullshit radar built into my system.” She says, jogging beside me. “I can tell when someone is lying to me. You passed the test.”
“Glad to hear that.”
“Listen, can you stop for a sec? I have to tell you something.”
“I’m going to the park to finish reading my book,” I say, pointing at it. “You want to talk there?”
“Sure.”
We walk to the park in silence and sit on one of the benches.
“How old are you, anyway?” Piper says. “You look like you could be in high school.”
“I’m twenty-two,” I say. “Never been to high school. From what I saw today, it doesn’t seem like a nice place.”
“You got that right.” A glint of something like pain passes so quickly through her eyes, that a less keen observer wouldn’t have noticed it.
“So what do you want to tell me?”
“First of all, thank you for finding us. I couldn’t figure out what was happening to me, and it was driving me crazy. It’s such a relief to finally know.”
I look at her face. She’s very pale, and her hair is so blonde it’s almost silver. She’s very skinny, almost boy-like. Her gray eyes are big and round. “You shouldn’t wear so much eye makeup.”
Wait. Did I just say that out loud?
“W-what?” She stutters uncomfortably.
Shit. I did.
“You have pretty eyes,” I say, looking away. “All that black eyeliner kind of covers them up.”
“Oh. Okay.” I feel her fidgeting next to me. “What I wanted to tell you is that I did some research,” She finally says, her voice steady. “There’s nothing at all in the ancient myths about either The Children of the Sun or the Immortals.”
“And?” I say, not sure of what she’s getting at.
“It just seems a little odd that there’s absolutely no trace of either of our kind in history.”
The Sun Child (The Sun Child Saga Book 1) Page 16
