Chosen One

by Katie Holland

  “Not so far. Should I be worried?” Alix asked.

  “I don’t think so, at least not yet. Who else knows anything about this?” Kris asked.

  “Only Sara,” Alix replied. “And she only knows that Shay is acting strange and we asked her to see if she could keep an eye out for Shay.”

  “Okay good. The less people that know about this the better. Let’s all be observant for a couple of days and see what we can find out. Don’t talk about this unless you create another sound barrier. And Alix, I don’t want you to be alone until we know about this situation. Ben as her Protector it’s your job to keep her safe.”

  Ben smiled, “I already told her that she wasn’t going to be alone at all. I’m on the same page as you Kris.”

  “Alright, let’s meet back here after the hike tomorrow evening and we’ll see if we’ve learned anything new. Try to get some sleep tonight. I have a feeling the meetings tomorrow are going to feel really long. Good night.”

  They said good night to Kris and Alix followed Ben to his room.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m going to get a few things and stay in your room tonight. I’ll just be a minute or so," he told her.

  She couldn’t help but blush and that made Ben laugh.

  “I’m going to sleep on the couch silly,” he said smiling.

  That only made her blush harder. She really wished she could stop doing that but so far she hadn’t figured out how. Alix waited by the door while he gathered up a small bag. She hoped that by the time he was done her cheeks would be back to their normal color.

  True to his word Ben took hardly any time at all and within minutes they were in Alix’s room.

  “So …” Alix said not really knowing what to do.

  “So …” Ben said with a smile, “I think we should put protections on all the windows and the door. That way no one can come in without our permission since there are no locks on anything here.”

  “Okay, do you know how to do that?”

  “Yes. After you saw that face in your window a few weeks ago my dad taught me what he did at your house. I can do the same thing here.”

  Alix had almost forgotten about that incident. That was “pre-Nykara” and so much had happened since then.

  “Can you teach me while you do it?”

  “Sure,” he said and proceeded to show her what to do.

  “So, it’s basically like making little shields and putting them in place. Doesn’t it continue to use your energy to hold them in place?”

  “No. It will wear off after a while if you don’t maintain it, but they will be in place until we leave here.”

  “Cool,” Alix said. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Whatever you want,” he answered.

  She looked at the time, it was almost 10:00. “Are you tired?”

  “Not really, you?”

  “A little bit but not tired enough to fall asleep. I know this is probably going to be boring, but I just want to hang out. Maybe watch TV or something. I can read if you want to watch some guy show and I probably have to write more in my journal.”

  “I’m fine with anything Alix, I mean it, so do whatever you need to do," he told her.

  “Okay. Why don’t we see what we can find on TV and sit here with you and finish my journal entry from earlier.”

  “You got it,” he said grabbing the remote and turning the TV on.

  Alix went to the desk and opened the drawer with her journal in it. She saw the letters that Shay and Ben had written to remind themselves about her telling them what really happened at Stonehenge. She hoped that Shay would get back to her normal self and they could find a way to undo whatever it was that made people forget about the creation of the monument. She sat down beside Ben on the couch and started writing.

  Nov 4 – Trip to London Day 5 – cont’d

  So, for the second time today I’m sitting in my awesome room at the castle writing in my journal while Ben watches TV. It’s been a stressful day for the most part with a few relaxing times scattered in amongst the bad. Nothing has changed in Shay’s behavior and in fact I know for sure that something is wrong with Logan. I still don’t understand how he could be part Grynn, it doesn’t make any sense and has me worried for Shay. I’m sure that Logan is here and doing whatever he’s doing to Shay to get to me. That’s a really scary thought but it’s worse if he tries to hurt her. I couldn’t forgive myself if something truly terrible happened to her. But no matter what I will get to the bottom of this. No one gets between me and Shay and gets away with it. I just have to be careful how I go about it. I don’t want Logan to get suspicious and do something drastic.

  Alix put her journal away and sat back down next to Ben. He had actually found a Harry Potter movie on and that made Alix giggle. He was pretty good at cheering her up. They watched it for a while when something that Kris said to them made her curious.

  “Hey, did Kris say we had meetings tomorrow?” I asked Ben.

  “Uh, I think he did. Did you look at what they have scheduled for tomorrow?”

  “No, I haven’t been looking ahead. I guess we should see what’s up.”

  Alix grabbed the itinerary from the desk and went back to the couch. She groaned when she read it.

  Saturday November 5

  - 9:00 am – breakfast

  - 10:00 am – meeting on the rooftop garden (weather permitting, otherwise will be moved to the library) for all council members and Sunset Creek group

  - 1:00 pm – lunch

  - 2:00 pm – meeting in the Blue Room – council members only / free time for everyone else

  - 6:00 pm – dinner

  - 7:00 pm – guided evening hike (rain or shine)

  “The only thing that sounds tolerable is the guided hike,” Alix said. “It sounds so boring. No wonder Kris said to get a good sleep. I’ll probably fall asleep or something.”

  “Well at least I can be there to keep you awake in the morning meeting. You’re on your own in the afternoon. But I agree that the hike sounds fun.”

  They finished the movie and decided they’d better try to get some sleep. They made up Ben’s bed on the couch and Alix went to the bedroom. It would be very embarrassing to actually fall asleep in her first Council meeting. She crawled under the covers and hoped she would sleep well.

  Chapter 21

  “Alix … Alix wake up!” Ben practically yelled and was shaking her shoulders.

  She woke up and started pushing at his hands and fighting with her blankets. When she was awake enough to realize it was Ben she stopped trying to push him away and sat up. “What’s going on?”

  “You were having a bad dream and weren’t waking up on your own, so I thought I’d better wake you up,” he said and sat on the side of the bed.

  “Oh, uh, well thanks I guess,” she said and flopped back down onto the pillow.

  “Do you remember what you were dreaming about?”

  “Not all of it which is strange. Normally I remember everything. All I can remember is that Shay was there, and I had to save her. And I think there was a locked room but I’m not sure. What time is it?” she asked when she noticed it was still dark outside.

  Ben looked at his watch. “It’s just after 3:30. If you’re okay we should probably try to get back to sleep.”

  “I’m okay. Thanks for waking me up.”

  Ben went back to the couch and Alix turned off the lamp that Ben must have turned on to wake her up. She pulled the covers up to her chin and thought about the dream. It seemed real like a vision dream but it was bothering her that she couldn’t remember it. Maybe once she got back to sleep the dream would come back and she’d know what was going on. She closed her eyes and eventually fell back to sleep.

  * * *

  Once again, she woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Ben got up to answer it. It was Gordon.

  “Oh, Mr. Ben,” Gordon said a li
ttle confused, “I’m here to give Miss Alix her wake up call.”

  “Hey Gordon,” Ben said. “She’s here, I’ll make sure she’s up and ready.”

  “Uh … alright, thank you.”

  “No problem,” Ben said with a grin.

  Alix couldn’t help but giggle at the exchange. “I think we’ve managed to surprise poor Gordon more than once since we met him in the airport. He’s so proper it’s funny.”

  Ben smiled at that. “I have to agree with you. So how did you sleep after your dream?”

  “Fine I guess. I was hoping to remember more of that dream but unfortunately, I don’t remember anything else. It’s very frustrating. What time is it?”

  “I think I need to get you a watch,” Ben said smiling.

  “I normally use my phone but with being so busy I haven’t had it with me very much. So, are you going to tell me or not?” she asked him again.

  “It’s 8:05. Breakfast is at 9:00 so we have lots of time. You go ahead and have a shower if you want. I’ll watch TV and have one after you’re done.”

  Alix just stared at him.

  “What?” he finally said.

  “I don’t know, it’s just kind of weird both of us getting ready at the same time.”

  “Well I’m not leaving you alone, even with the protections we put in place last night. So, you’d better get used to it until we find out what Logan’s up to.”

  “Bossy,” Alix mumbled as she went to the bathroom and started the shower.

  Less than fifteen minutes later she was out of the shower and getting dressed. She put her hair in a ponytail and she was ready for the day.

  “You’re turn,” she told Ben as she sat on the couch with her eReader.

  He stepped out of the bathroom a little while later with a frown on his face.

  “What’s the matter?” Alix asked him.

  “I forgot to bring my shampoo and body wash with me last night and I had to use yours. Now I smell like a girl.”

  Alix laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

  “It’s not that funny,” Ben complained.

  “I think it’s hilarious.”

  “I can see that,” he said flatly.

  “I don’t think anyone’s going to notice Ben. I mean do people go around sniffing you very often?” she asked. Alix tried for a straight face but ended up laughing again.

  “Okay, you’ve made your point,” he said with a hint of a smile on his face. “May I escort you to breakfast?” he said as he spread his arms out and bowed.

  Alix curtsied in return and giggled. “You may.”

  They were both laughing as they left her room. They had made it a few steps down the hall when she heard her mom call her name. They waited for her parents to catch up with them.

  “Hey honey,” her mom said, “we haven’t seen much of you since we got here. How are you doing?”

  “I’m ok. Shay and I had a little fight yesterday and we’re not talking.”

  “Are you serious? But you two have never fought. What happened?”

  “To be honest I’m not really even sure. I told her I didn’t like Logan that much and she called me boring. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but you know how we are.”

  “I’m sorry honey. I know this is probably really bothering you,” her mom said sympathetically. “Why don’t we get our breakfast and go to another room and we can talk until it’s time for the meeting?”

  “That sounds great mom.”

  They talked about the Induction Ceremony and the party afterwards. Alix told them about Shay acting weird and that she really didn’t like Logan. They talked about everything except what they told Kris last night. Alix felt better after talking to her parents. They still were the most important people in her life.

  “We’d better get upstairs to the garden,” her dad said. “It’s almost 10:00. I wonder why they want to meet with all of us.”

  Alix had been thinking the same thing. She was also anxious to see if Shay was going to be there. According to the itinerary only Sunset Creek residents were supposed to be there and that meant no Logan.

  When they arrived at the garden they found a bunch of the plants had been moved to make room for chairs that had been put in a mostly circular pattern. There were enough chairs for all of them as well as the Council members. It looked like most of the Council was there already. She noticed that they were scattered randomly throughout the chairs. She thought it was going to be like it was at the Ceremony, the Council sitting in a row of chairs and the rest of them facing the Council. This looked a lot friendlier.

  Shelley came over and greeted them. “Good morning. I didn’t see you at breakfast Alix, is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine,” she replied. “I haven’t had a lot of time to spend with my parents since we got here, and we took the opportunity to catch up.”

  “How nice,” Shelley said with a smile. “This isn’t a formal meeting so please feel free to sit anywhere you want. We’ll start when everyone arrives.”

  Taking their cue from the already seated Council members they didn’t all sit together. But Ben made sure to sit beside Alix.

  “I’m not going to let you get too far away from me,” he whispered in her ear.

  That made Alix giggle, mostly because it tickled her ear.

  Alix had been sitting back enjoying the sun when Ben nudged her in the side. She opened her eyes to see Shay standing in front of her.

  “Hey Alix, it feels like I haven’t seen you in weeks,” Shay said with a smile.

  Alix looked at Ben and he just shrugged his shoulders.

  “Why are you two looking at each other like that?” Shay asked.

  “Um …” Alix started, “don’t you remember the fight we had yesterday?”

  “Fight? Are you crazy, we never fight. Is this some sort of prank you two are pulling?”

  “No,” Ben said seriously. “What’s the last thing you remember doing with us?”

  Shay had to think about that for a minute. “You and Alix met up with me and Logan at the refreshment table at the party then Alix and I went into the hallway to talk.”

  “Shay,” he said, “that was two days ago.”

  “Ha ha, very funny. That was last night," she said and sat down beside Alix like everything was normal.

  Ben leaned over and whispered, “We’ll talk about this later. Just act normal.”

  She nodded her head, but this was anything but normal. Shay started talking to her about nothing in particular and she responded the best she could. Luckily the meeting was starting, and she could focus on something else.

  “Thank you all for coming,” James said.

  He was the Council member that had led the Induction Ceremony. Alix knew he was American because of his accent. She still didn’t know where most of the Council members were from, but she gave herself a break since she’d just met everyone.

  “This will just be an informal meeting to learn about everyone here and for the Council members to hear what happened in Sunset Creek from the time Alix became Nykara until you got to the airport to come here. We’ll begin by having the Council members introduce themselves. I’ll start. I’m James Long from the United States, Florida to be more specific and I’m a Warrior," he said smiling.

  And then the rest of the Council stood and introduced themselves one by one.

  “My name is Betta De Luca. I’m from Italy and I’m a Theorist.

  “I’m Nadir Haik from Egypt and I’m an Artist.”

  “My name is Teiko Nagata. I am from Japan and I am a Physical.”

  “My name is Luiz Santos from Brazil. I’m a Theorist.”

  “I am Dedrik Hahn and I’m from Germany. I’m a Healer.”

  “My name is Harini Parmar and my home is in India. I am a Locator.”

  “I am Kasper Raisasen from Finland and I am a Theorist.”

  “My name is Lucie Dubois and I live in Fran
ce. I’m a Warrior.”

  “I am Vladamir Orlov from Russia. I am a Warrior.”

  “And of course, you already know the rest of us but you might not know everything, so we’ll continue,” Shelley said with a grin. “I’m Shelley Woods. I’m from Canada and I’m a Healer.”

  “I’m Maria Ramos from Brazil and I’m an Artist.”

  “Perry Humphrey. I’m from Australia and I’m a Healer.”

  “Aleck McTaggart from Scotland and I’m a Physical.”

  “And of course, I’m Ruth from South Africa and I’m a Locator.”

  Shay leaned over and whispered to Alix, “That’s a lot of info to remember. Now that no one is in formal wear I think we should go with your name tag idea.”

  Alix turned her head to see Shay grinning. Alix was having a really hard time reconciling yesterday’s Shay with the one that appeared so normal at the moment. She forced herself to smile and respond. “Maybe we should make them up and hand them out.”

  Alix wanted so badly for Shay to be back to herself. She was almost positive that her behavior was because of Logan. She wanted to analyze it further, but someone started talking so she started paying attention again.

  “It’s an honor to meet you all,” Rick said. “We’ll help you in any way we can, just let us know what you need from us.”

  It was Ruth that spoke next. “What we are actually needing is a full recap of everything that has happened since Alix woke up with her tattoo. I know you are aware of how important she is to our people, so we need to understand what exactly has happened since that day.”

  “Alright, we can do that,” Rick said. “Alix would you like to start?”

  “Uh, yeah, okay, sure.” Alix started with her dreams because she knew that would be important later. As she spoke the rest of the Sunset Creek residents jumped in and added things that she was forgetting. They covered her training, the vision dreams about the hikers, rescuing them and encountering the Grynn and finally the incident with her and Shay being followed. It had taken well over an hour by the time they told the entire story.