by Alicia Rades
I stumbled back. “What’s your problem? Are you planning to keep me prisoner here or something?”
His gaze dropped. “No, I just think you need to hear more before you run off. Believe me. I felt the same way when I first came here. There’s so much more you need to know.”
I crossed my arms and pursed my lips. “My whole world is being turned upside down, Marek. Everything I thought I knew… I just want the demons to go away.”
He spoke softly. “I know. I can’t make them go away, but I can promise you one thing.”
I dropped my arms to my side. “What’s that?”
“You’ll never have to be alone in this again.”
I didn’t know how long we stood there staring at each other. It could’ve been just moments or half an hour. The look in Marek’s eyes begged me to accept my new reality. And I knew I would, because he’d been right. I wasn’t alone anymore.
“Should we sit down?” Marek offered, gesturing to the plush chairs by the fireplace.
Before I could agree, Fletcher’s voice came from behind me. “Maybe we should give her some time to think about things.”
I turned to look at him. He stood next to the banister with his hands crossed in front of him.
He stepped forward with a sympathetic expression on his face. “It’s a lot to take in. Perhaps you should take the day to come up with a list of questions. Maybe later next week we can go over some of the basics, get you introduced to things a little before school starts.”
It took me a long moment to process the implication of his words. “You mean, you want me to attend Galen High?”
A smile twitched at Fletcher’s lips. “How else do you expect to learn how to use your skills?”
“I—I…” I didn’t know what to say.
“Perhaps it’s best if someone escorts you home,” Fletcher suggested.
“Shouldn’t we tell her about—?” Marek started to say, but Fletcher cut him off.
“I think we should take this slowly. You know what can happen if we spring too much information on a person too fast.” Fletcher turned his attention to me. “Are you going to be okay?”
I thought about it for a second and shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll come by on Monday to see how you’re doing,” Fletcher offered. “We can discuss your enrollment then.”
“Okay, thanks.”
When no one said anything else, I turned to the doors beside me and slipped out into fresh air. It had become warmer in the short time I’d been inside, and the air was dense with humidity, causing my shirt to cling to my skin. Though it was muggy and unpleasant, my head began to clear once I stepped outside. I was already to the end of the walkway when I heard Marek calling my name.
“Wait up, Ryn.”
I stopped and turned to him. My hair danced in the light breeze.
“Do you want a ride home?” he asked.
“Oh, I—um…” I glanced to his bike. “No, it’s okay. I’ll walk.”
Marek’s brows shot up. “You sure you can find your way back?”
“Yes,” I lied.
It was only when he pointed it out that I realized I wasn’t sure how to get home. When Allie had shown me around town, we spent the whole day walking. All the landmarks blended in my mind. Plus, I hadn’t been watching this morning when Marek drove me here.
I could tell by the smirk on Marek’s face that he knew I wasn’t telling the truth.
“Well, maybe not exactly,” I admitted, “but I know the general direction, and Eagle Valley isn’t very big. I can’t exactly get lost.”
“Get on the bike. I’ll drive you home.”
The tone in his voice told me I didn’t have a choice. At least he’d save me time wandering around aimlessly.
“Yeah, okay,” I caved.
He drove slower this time but still made me wear the helmet. Relief washed over me as soon as we made it to my street.
Marek didn’t part with me at the curb like I thought he would. Instead, he followed me up the creaky wooden steps to the front door. He stared down at me with a hint of a smile. His eyes danced around my face like he expected an invitation inside.
My cheeks heated under his gaze. “What?”
“I just want to make sure you’re all right.”
My heart fluttered. It was nice for someone to actually care.
“It’s all so scary, Marek,” I admitted.
“I know.” He truly sounded like he meant it. “I can help you if you let me. Let me give you my number. Then you can call me when you’re ready.”
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and handed it to him. He programmed his number in and gave it back.
“Do you have more questions?” he asked.
“I do.” The problem was there were questions I was afraid to ask. “Later, though.”
I pushed past him and into the house.
In the following silence, I glanced around the house, letting the light filtering in through the stained-glass window by the stairs distract me. That was one thing I liked about this house. It had character, from the big brass door handles to the ancient hardwood flooring. I was always finding something new in this house that gave it a bit of character.
After a deep breath, I dragged myself into the living room and fell onto the couch. I closed my eyes. If I could just fall asleep, maybe this would all be over.
This is really happening. It will never be over.
Several minutes later, a knock sounded at the front door. I sighed heavily and rose, wondering what Marek could possibly want from me.
But it wasn’t Marek. It was Allie.
6
“Hey,” Allie said softly. “How are you doing?”
I caught a glimpse of Marek retreating down the street on his bike. “He told you?”
Her face fell. “Yeah. You don’t mind if I come in, do you?”
“No.” I opened the door wider. “Are you feeling any better?”
“A little,” she told me. Even with a hangover, she’d found enough energy to flawlessly reapply her makeup.
I led Allie up the stairs to my room. I knew she’d want to talk about what happened, but I didn’t know how to approach the topic.
Allie entered the room behind me and glanced around. “You haven’t finished unpacking yet?”
I followed her eyes. The white walls were bare, but I hadn’t left any packing boxes lying out. “I did finish unpacking.”
“Oh,” she said. “I don’t see any pictures or anything.”
“I have pictures!” I defended. I sat on the bed and pointed to the framed photo on my dresser.
Allie walked over to it to get a better look.
“It’s from when I was in seventh grade,” I told her. “Just after Mom and I ran our first half marathon. That was when she was going through her fitness phase. It was right before her photography phase. Here, I’ll show you.”
I hopped up from the bed and crossed over to my closet. I pulled a thick scrapbook from the top shelf and handed it to Allie. She gazed down at it curiously and sat on my bed to flip through it.
“Oh, wow,” she said in amazement. “These pictures are really nice.”
“Yeah, but they’re all from junior high. Like I said, my mom was going through her photography stage and photographed everything. And that led right into her scrapbooking phase.”
Allie never took her eyes off the book. “Your mom’s a really interesting person. She’s talented at a lot of stuff.”
I wouldn’t exactly say talented.
I took a seat beside Allie. “She never sticks with one thing.”
“What other kinds of things has she done?” she asked as she flipped through the pages.
“Mm…” I thought. “We had a martial arts phase and a cooking phase. Then obviously we had the running one and the photography and scrapbooking. She tried sewing once, but that didn’t last long. For a year, all she did was read books. She read something like three hundred books that yea
r.”
Allie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow.”
I’d never been impressed. It was like nothing could ever please my mom.
“What about you?” Allie asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you into? Are you like your mom, always changing your hobbies?”
I sighed heavily. “You know we move around a lot. I never get to be a part of anything for long. I was in martial arts classes for a few years in elementary school, and I played softball in junior high.”
I shrugged. The truth was, Mom changed hobbies so often that I never had much of a chance to pursue my own interests. We didn’t have the money for it. Her job as a virtual assistant didn’t exactly pay a whole lot.
“I like cooking,” I said. “That was my favorite phase she went through. Oh, and earrings! I love earrings.”
I jumped up from the bed and pulled open the drawer at my desk. Allie closed the scrapbook and stood. When she saw my collection, she drew in an audible breath.
“I noticed you wore different earrings almost every day,” she said, “but I never thought you’d have this many.”
I smiled and opened the next two drawers, each displaying another set of my collection. Allie’s eyes grew even wider.
“It looks like a lot because I keep the packaging for all of them so they don’t get mixed up,” I told her.
“It’s still pretty cool,” she said. “Have you checked out Celeste’s yet?”
I shook my head. “What’s that?”
“It’s a jewelry store in town. I think you’d like it. It’s on Main Street right next to Angela’s Café. We should go sometime.”
“Sounds like fun,” I agreed.
I noticed I was still wearing the same dangly cubic zirconia earrings from the night before. I slipped them off and stuck them back where they belonged. I swapped them out for a pair of dark purple studs.
Allie sat on my bed. “Ryn, we need to talk. Marek told me about what happened last night. I wish I could’ve seen it.”
I turned to her from where I sat in front of my mirror. “You saw part of it.”
Allie sheepishly dropped her gaze. “I don’t remember much of last night. I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t know about you. I never thought you’d be in danger. I never thought any of us would be in danger, not here.”
“So I guess it’s true, then. You’re a Davina?” The word felt strange on my tongue.
Allie nodded. “Yeah. I can’t believe you’re one, too. Marek said you never knew.”
“It’s… definitely a surprise. I’m still trying to process it all.”
Allie looked at me with a sympathetic expression. “I can’t imagine not knowing.”
I thought back to my childhood, wondering how things would be different if I knew. Would I have faced the demons sooner? What if I hadn’t grown up thinking I was crazy?
“What was it like for you, growing up?” I asked curiously.
Allie twisted her lips in thought. “I don’t know. It’s always been normal for me.”
“Could you always do that fireball thing?”
“You mean, conjure essence?” Allie stuck out her palm. A white fireball formed in it and floated just millimeters from her palm.
I stared at it, mesmerized.
She closed her hand into a fist, and the ball of energy disappeared inside it. “No, not always.”
“How’d you learn how to do it?” I held out my hand and concentrated, but it remained empty. “You make it look so easy.”
Allie shrugged. “I don’t know. You just… do it.”
“Is that how you learned? You just… did it?”
“Kind of,” she admitted. “It should come naturally by now. The ability to manipulate essence comes later in our teens, after puberty. That’s why we don’t start our training until high school. Your essence is always there; you just can’t access it until later.”
“But if you don’t develop your powers until your teens, how come…” My voice trailed off. I’d conjured essence once before when I was little, although I didn’t know what had happened at the time. I wasn’t sure if I should tell Allie about it.
“What is it?” Allie prodded. “It’s okay, Ryn. I’ll answer any questions you have. That’s what friends are for.” She gave an encouraging smile.
“If you don’t develop your powers until later, how have I been able to see the demons my whole life?”
Allie suppressed a giggle. “All Davina can see demons. They probably left you alone until now because they never knew you were a Davina. They can’t tell the difference between us and humans. Unless you show your essence or make eye contact, they wouldn’t know.”
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t dare mention to her that they hadn’t always left me alone.
“What?” Allie asked, sensing I had more to say.
I paused for a beat. “There don’t seem to be many demons here in Eagle Valley.”
It was one of the first things I noticed when we came here. I thought it meant I was finally growing out of my insanity.
“Of course not. There are far too many Davina here. They’d get themselves killed.”
“Then what about the two last night?”
Allie dropped her head. “They were idiots. Sometimes the brave ones will stumble into town for fun. They don’t usually make it very far.”
I nodded. “Marek mentioned that.”
“You’re lucky he was there,” she said seriously. “I wouldn’t want to face a demon on my own.”
I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but I cut off when my door opened.
“Kathryn, I’m headed to the store—” Mom stopped as soon as she saw Allie. “Oh. I saw your bag downstairs. I knew you were home, but I didn’t realize… Are you coming to the store with me? I want to find some more yarn for that afghan I’m making.”
Mom’s latest thing was crocheting. If you asked me, it was a waste of time and money. She’d never stick with it.
“No, that’s okay,” I said.
“Why not? I thought you had fun the last time we went.”
Where’d she get that idea? I hated yarn shopping. It was so dull, and the craft stores were always filled with that sickening scent like someone had lit too many candles.
“Mom,” I complained. “I have a friend over.”
She huffed like she couldn’t believe I’d rather spend time with Allie than with her. “If you’re going to stay home, I expect your chores to be done by the time I get back.”
“Fine,” I reluctantly agreed.
“Bye, Mrs. Tyler!” Allie called after my mom.
“Ugh. Don’t call her that. It sounds weird.”
“Sorry. Should I just call her Gloria?”
“Yeah, I guess that works.” I stood from the bed. “I’m sorry, but I have a ton of cleaning to do before my mom gets home.”
“I’ll help you,” she offered.
“You really don’t have to do that.” I didn’t want to take advantage of her.
“Yes, I do,” she insisted. “The sooner you get your chores done, the sooner I can teach you to manipulate your essence. You’ll need to learn how to defend yourself. Should we get started?”
7
Allie thought it best if we practiced somewhere with more space than my bedroom. After we finished cleaning, I took a shower and grabbed some lunch. I sent Mom a text letting her know I was hanging out with Allie the rest of the day.
I stared out the passenger side window of Allie’s car. The bright sun from earlier had disappeared behind a layer of clouds. I wasn’t sure where we were going until I noticed the red brick of Galen High at the end of the street.
“How are we going to get into the school?” I asked.
I wondered if maybe there was a back door that was easy to jimmy open with the right tool. That’s how the seniors at my last school got in for their senior prank. They’d covered the entire gym floor in balloons.
“We’re not
going inside,” Allie said simply.
“Where are we going, then?”
“It’s behind the school.”
I hesitated. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Allie. I don’t want anyone to see us.”
“Don’t worry. They won’t,” she said with a knowing smile.
Allie parked the car and led me around the side of the building into a forest of dense trees.
I followed behind her and kept my eyes on the dirt path. “Are you sure no one will see us?”
“Relax,” she insisted. “This is at the edge of town, and the land belongs to the school. No one comes here who isn’t supposed to. We use this place to train all the time.”
“Fletcher said you train to become Protectors?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s a Protector, exactly?” I asked.
“They’re like soldiers,” she explained, “but Protectors usually work alone or in small groups so they don’t draw attention. They kill demons.”
“Kill them?” I asked warily.
Allie glanced back at me but didn’t slow her pace. “Well, yeah. Demons feed off human essence. We protect them from that. Didn’t Fletcher tell you?”
I stared down at my feet. “We didn’t get that far. But it makes sense.”
That didn’t mean I wanted to have a hand in killing them, though.
“What if you don’t want to become a Protector?” I asked.
“The Davina Council will assign you another job.”
I relaxed slightly. “The Davina have their own government?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What kind of jobs do they assign?” I’d always thought it’d be cool to be a chef. I wondered if there were any options for that in the Davina world.
Allie shrugged. “Teaching, keeping track of records, protecting ancient Davina artifacts, things like that.”
“And you?” I asked curiously. “You’re planning to become a Protector?”
“Yeah,” Allie said like it was obvious. “Most Davina start out as Protectors and then go on to teaching or whatever once they get older. It’s kind of frowned upon to never become a Protector.”
Lovely. I never thought I’d be able to list soldier on my résumé.
