“Yeah, I guess. So, everyone here really does know what’s going on.”
There was a chorus of yes’s and heads nodding in agreement.
“Even you Shay?” Alix asked her best friend.
“Oh Alix, I can’t take it anymore,” Shay said as she ran over to Alix and gave her a great big hug. “You look so sad, I’m sorry. Yes, I knew but only for the last week. That’s why I’ve been acting kinda strange and distant. You know how hard it is for me to keep secrets.”
Alix couldn’t help but smile at her because she knew that it was almost impossible for Shay to keep a secret.
“I hated keeping it from you, but I promised my mom I would. We knew it would be better if you found this out with the support of everyone. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Maybe. But there better be a fantastic birthday cake in the near future,” Alix said smiling at Shay. “As for the rest of you,” she gestured to Ben and his parents, “Why are you here?”
Ben looked at his parents, they both nodded at him. “Alix, we’re like you. We are Nykara and our family is here to help you.” As Ben finished talking all three held up their right hands so Alix could see them. They all had tattoos on their palms.
Alix sucked in a breath and covered her mouth with her hands. She just stood there staring at them for at least a full minute.
“Alix, honey, are you alright?” her dad said, getting up to go over to her.
“Uh … I really don’t know. I don’t know what to think. I think mostly I’m confused. I feel like this is still a dream.”
“Come back and sit down next to me and your mom and I think that Ben, Natalie, and Rick can explain some more. Okay?”
“Yeah, sure, okay.”
Alix realized that she was shaking a little but felt better when she sat down next to her parents.
“So,” Alix said looking at Ben, “You guys are Nykara. How do you even spell that and what does it mean?”
Natalie was the one to answer her. “It’s spelled n-y-k-a-r-a. And technically it means, ‘of nature.’ Thousands of years ago the Nykara had their own language. It’s not spoken now and only a handful of words are still used today. Nykara was what they called themselves and what we still use. What it means practically speaking is that we are a race of magical beings. Our abilities come from nature so that’s why we believe we are called Nykara.”
“Abilities? What do you mean?”
“All Nykara have what we call abilities. In basic terms, it means we can do things magically. It’s the fundamental difference between humans and Nykara.”
“Magic, that’s what the lady in my dream said. So, I’m able to do magic?”
“You will have to be taught how, that’s why we’re here.”
“So, what’s with the tattoo looking things that you have on your hands? And how come I didn’t notice them before. I have one too now.”
This time it was Ben who answered her. “All Nykara have a tattoo on their right palm, it’s what identifies them as Nykara. They get them on their seventeenth birthday.”
“But mine is different than yours.”
“A lot of Nykara have different tattoos. The different tattoos designate what type of abilities you will specialize in. Mine is a tree, I’m a Protector. Mom and dad are both Theorists. Mom has a hummingbird and dad has a sparrow. There are different kinds of Nykara and our tattoos reflect what we are good at. Can we please see yours?”
Alix held out her hand for everyone to see. Ben, Natalie, and Rick all gasped and looked shocked. She thought she heard Natalie mutter something about “please give us strength.” Shay and her parents didn’t react at all.
“What’s wrong with you three? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Shay said, when she saw how Ben and his parents had reacted.
“You’re really The One,” Ben whispered. “My job is to actually protect The Chosen One. Seriously! I don’t even know what to think right now. This is crazy.”
Ben seemed very agitated and Alix had no idea why. Instead of clearing things up he was making her more confused.
Natalie saw the look on Alix’s face and took Ben aside and talked to him. When they got back he seemed more like his normal self.
“What is going on?” Alix asked to the whole room hoping she would be able to get an answer that actually made sense to her. “I’m beginning to freak out. I need to know what’s happening.”
It was Natalie that answered her again. “We have a lot to discuss Alix, and I promise all your questions will be answered. We have something at our place that will help you understand a lot more. For now, why don’t we all have something to eat and start celebrating your birthday.”
Alix wanted to know what was going on, but it was at that moment that Alix finally realized that she was actually seventeen now … and still in her pajamas in a room full of people. “Uh, yeah okay. I guess I am kind of hungry. And I think I’d like to shower.”
“Alix,” her mom turned to her with a smile, “Everything will be okay honey. Now, should we have our famous pancakes for breakfast?”
Ben and Shay both said yes very loudly. Alix had to smile at that. “Looks like pancakes it is mom.”
“I’ll go get them started.”
“I’ll help you,” Natalie said to Heather.
“Shay, can you please come with me?” Alix said to her.
“You bet,” she answered, following Alix to her bedroom.
As soon as they got to the bedroom Shay was all over Alix. “Oh my God, how are you not super totally freaked out right now? I was way more freaked out than you seem to be when my mom told and it’s not even happening to me.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m sufficiently freaked out right now. Speaking of you knowing, how exactly did you know anything and why?”
“Okay, so you remember last weekend when we were going to Bozeman for groceries and our parents were getting together for dinner and we overheard part of a weird conversation that seemed to be about you.”
“Like I’d forget that.”
“Well, when I left your place the next day I went home and asked my mom about it.”
“What!” Alix interrupted. “You said you didn’t have a chance to talk to her about it, you lied to me!”
“After I talked to her and found out a boatload of information I knew I had to lie to you and I hated it. We’ve never lied to each other before and it killed me to have to do it. But you would have thought I was crazy telling you that your dream was really going to come true. Right?”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. It just makes me mad that I was the last to know and I’m the one most affected. I’m trying to get over that, but it’s only been like a half an hour since I found out. So, keep going with your story, I really want to know what happened.”
“Okay, so when I asked my mom what they’d been talking about the first thing she said was, ‘I guess it’s time you knew the truth since you will be involved.’ She told me that there were other beings in the world that were like humans but more powerful. They could do things like magic. I thought she had finally lost her mind and I got up to leave. She said she’d have to show me to make me believe her, so we went over to Ben’s place. That’s where I really got freaked out. Natalie placed her hand on my forehead and closed her eyes. They told me it would only work on someone who was meant to be a Lossat. After they cast their spell or whatever you call it I was able to see the tattoos on their hands for the first time and thought maybe they were like a cult or something. But since they didn’t seem any different I gave them a chance to explain. They told me about some of the things they could do and what being a Nykara was all about. They even showed me some of their abilities. I can’t even explain how awesome it was.”
“So, what are some of the things they can do?”
“I’m not really supposed to say much about it until you can see for yourself.”
“Ahh!” Alix exclaimed and threw her hands in the air. “This feels like ‘keep Alix in the dark day’ o
r ‘let’s all keep secrets from Alix today.’ You know Shay, this isn’t helping my mood any. I’m getting really tired of feeling frustrated and confused.”
“I’m sorry Alix, but I’m not the best one to tell you anything. I’ve only known a very limited amount of information for just a week now. Ben and his family will be the ones to guide you through. I’m just here for support.”
“If your mom said you’re going to be involved then does that make you like me?” Alix asked hopefully.
“No, I’m not a Nykara, I wish, that would make me totally uber cool. I’m what they call a Lossat. I’m still human but get to know all the secrets of the Nykara.”
“Nykara, Lossat, do I need to learn a new language to keep up?”
“I don’t think so. Those are the only two new words I’ve learned.” Shay paused and took Alix’s hands in hers. “Are you doing okay, like really okay? I know you’re frustrated, but other than that, how are you really handling this?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. I guess overwhelmed would be the best description. But it sure does explain a few things on my Strangeness List doesn’t it.”
Shay had to laugh at that. “It really does. At least you know you aren’t crazy.”
“That’s a relief.” Alix actually smiled. Shay always had a way of making her feel better.
“You’d better get in the shower. I can already smell the pancakes cooking.”
“Okay, okay, bossy. I’m going.”
Alix gathered up her clothes and went to shower. She walked a little slowly by the kitchen to hear if they were talking about her. But to her surprise, the conversation seemed completely normal. Shay joined the moms and Ben in the kitchen as Alix continued to the bathroom.
She wanted to stay in the shower for a long time when she felt the water washing away some of the tension that had built up. But she also wanted to know what was going on and that meant having a short shower. Her curiosity won, and it was a short shower. She got dressed, threw her hair up into a ponytail and considered herself ready. She went to the kitchen to find that breakfast was nearly finished. There was bacon and sausage, a huge pile of pancakes and all the fixings that make it fun. Ben and Shay were setting the table, so she went over to help them. Alix wasn’t sure there had ever been this many people in her house to eat all at once. She didn’t know how everyone, and the food were going to fit at the table.
“Mom, can we really fit everyone at the table with all of the food?”
“Of course, honey,” her mom answered. “We’ll make it work, we always do.”
Alix looked at her mom and smiled because she knew she was talking about more than breakfast.
Soon the table was full of people and yummy looking food. Alix was sitting in between her parents needing a little bit of familiarity and comfort. Shay and Ben were explaining to their parents why there were so many different jams and things on the table and how to make the special pancakes. They looked a little skeptical but gave it a go.
Alix must have been starving because she was the first one to finish. Everyone seemed either occupied with food or conversation, so she was able to quietly talk to her mom.
“Hey mom, how are you doing with all this?”
“I think the question is how you are doing honey?”
“I still don’t know the answer to that. How long have you known about me?”
“Oh, that’s a long story but we’ve only really known for sure for about a month.”
“Will you tell me this long story one day?”
“I will honey, but only if you want to hear it.”
“So, I guess I broke your no tattoo rule until I was twenty-one huh,” Alix said with a smile. “Would you like to have a closer look at it, it’s really quite beautiful.”
“I’d love to honey but I can’t see it.”
“What do you mean you can’t see it? It’s right here on my palm.”
“I’m not Nykara, honey, so I can’t see it?”
“What do you mean?” Alix noticed that her mom looked kind of sad.
By this time everyone had stopped talking and was listening to them. Ben put his hand on her mom’s arm and nodded to her. “It’s ok Heather. Alix, only Nykara, and Lossat can see our tattoos. Humans can’t. It’s a way to protect us.”
“I see. So, who here can see my … um … I guess I mean, our tattoos?”
Everyone but her parents raised their hands.
“So, you guys are human,” she waved her hands at her parents, “And the rest of you are something else. Let me guess. Ben, Natalie and Rick are Nykara and Shay and Mrs. S are Lossat?” She looked to Ben for confirmation. He nodded that she was right. “Oh, okay. Sucks that you can’t see it, mom, it’s cool.”
“How did you know the word Lossat, Alix?” Ben asked rather suspiciously.
“Uh, Shay told me a little while ago, was it not ok that she did because I kind of forced her to tell me something. She didn’t tell me anything other than how she found out about this, whatever this actually is.”
Ben gave Shay a look but didn’t seem particularly mad, so she hoped she hadn’t gotten Shay in trouble. Once everyone was done and the kitchen cleaned up everyone just kind of stood around not knowing what to do.
“So, what’s next?” Alix asked.
This time it was Rick who spoke, he’d been fairly quiet until then. “I think we should all go over to our place. We have more of the answers that Alix is looking for.”
Everyone agreed to meet at the Travers’ place in ten minutes. Ben, Shay, and their parents left.
Alix was headed to the door as well when her dad stopped her. “Alix, hang on a second, can you please come back to the kitchen.”
When she went back she saw a card and present on the table.
“We couldn’t let you go anywhere without giving you your present honey,” her mom said with a smile. “Come on and open it.”
Alix opened the card and read every word. It was one of those really sweet ones that almost made her cry. Then she moved on to her present. She tore off the paper and grinned hugely when she saw what it was. “A brand new eReader! You guys are awesome!” She jumped up and hugged them both.
“Look on the back of the box,” her dad said.
She turned it over and it was a gift card for her to buy more eBooks. “You guys are really the best parents ever, you know, that right? I love you both. Thank you so much. It’s the perfect gift for me.”
For a minute, she had felt normal again and forgotten about her tattoo and being a Nykara. But when her dad said they should get going, reality came back to the forefront. She had no idea what to expect at Ben’s house but hoped she would finally get some answers that made sense.
Chapter 21
The ride to Ben’s house was very short. Her mom pulled up to use the intercom box, but the gate opened before she could even roll down her window.
“That’s strange,” her mom said. “How did they know we’re here already?”
“It’s happened to me before mom. They said the gate was malfunctioning, but I think it has something to do with what I am. I have a feeling that a lot of strange things I’ve experienced over the last month are going to start making sense.”
As they were pulling up to the house Alix got a text from Ben that said they were in the kitchen. She would have thought they would have met in the study or one of the impressive living rooms, but not to her surprise she was wrong again. The three of them went into the house and went to the kitchen. Everyone was already there.
“Have a seat, Alix,” Natalie said, gesturing her to the table.
The last time she had sat at that table they were trying to figure out what the coin was all about. As she sat down the thought struck her that the coin was probably related to all of this too, maybe everything was.
“Alix,” Rick addressed her, “Please tell us all about the dream you’ve been having. I believe that Shay is already familiar with it, but can you fill the rest of us in?”
&
nbsp; Alix them about the dream, not leaving any detail out. When she finished she waited a minute. No one said anything. She was getting anxious. “Now, can we get to the answering part?”
Still, no one said anything for a minute and Alix was getting a little restless. “Well, are we going to sit here all day or is someone going to tell me exactly what is going on? I think I’ve been patient for long enough and having everyone staring at me isn’t helping,” her voice was starting to rise, a sure sign she was getting angry.
“Sorry Alix,” Rick said to her, “You’re absolutely right. No one here can really understand what you’re dealing with at the moment. Natalie, Ben, and I knew what was happening before it happened to us.”
“How come I didn’t know anything ahead? Shouldn’t someone have said something?”
“Your situation was unique, and everything will be explained to you. But if we don’t do this in the right order nothing will make sense. So, the reason I asked you to tell us about your dream was to prepare you for something. We need to go outside, there’s something you have to see.”
She got up from the table and followed Rick, Natalie, and Ben to the back door. She turned around and saw that her parents and Shay and Tami were still sitting at the table.
“Aren’t you coming?” she asked them.
It was her mom that answered. “Not right now honey. This is something that is just for Nykara. We’ll be waiting here for you when you get back. Remember Alix, no matter what, we love you.”
“Okay mom, I love you guys too.”
Alix wanted to ask a million questions but the look on Rick’s face told her that she’d get her answers if she was just a little more patient. Rick, Natalie, and Ben led her out to the backyard. She followed them out to the enormous space. She walked just behind them trying to figure out where they were going. All she saw so far was grass, trees, and plants. They were headed to what looked like a small grove of trees. It looked like a dead end until Rick disappeared. As in disappeared into thin air. Then the same thing happened to Natalie and Ben. Alix stopped in her tracks. What on earth was going on, she thought to herself. She wasn’t taking another step until she knew where they had gone.
Nykara Page 20
