Nykara

by Katie Holland

  Ben just smiled at her. “I can’t even to begin to understand what’s going on in that head of yours because I grew up with magic. Ask me anything you want.”

  “Can you teach me how to do something like that? I mean like right now and not a year from now?”

  “Sure, come to sit with me on the grass.” Ben sat cross-legged, and Alix mirrored him. “Remember at Yellowstone when we did this, well that’s the beginnings of how to access your magic. Take my hands like you did before.” Alix held his hands and was excited this time instead of nervous. “Like before, I want you to clear your mind. Relax, focus on your breathing and feel what’s around you. It will be easier now that you have your tattoo. Tell me what you feel.”

  Alix did what he said. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths really trying to concentrate on what was around her. She knew that Ben didn’t mean how she felt, but what she could feel around her. As she was breathing she realized that she did feel something different than last time. It was a sort of energy that she had trouble describing in her head.

  “Okay, I definitely feel something that I didn’t feel before, but I don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s like an energy or a power or something. It’s all around me.”

  “That’s perfect,” Ben said excitedly. “It took me a week to be able to feel that and figure out what it was.”

  She opened her eyes and gave him a very skeptical look. “Really, a week? Quit making fun of me.”

  “I’m completely serious, right mom?”

  “He’s telling you the truth Alix,” Natalie said. “We’ve been around magic our whole lives and it’s highly unusual for someone to pick up on the energy the first time they try to. I know your tattoo says you’re the Kaelneth and what you just did is enough proof for me that it’s true.”

  “So, I picked up on this energy quickly, what does that mean for me exactly?”

  “Well,” Rick started, “I think that it means that you’re going to be able to learn everything quicker than most Nykara. We have no idea the things you can do and how powerful you’re going to be. It’s going to be very interesting to teach you. I predict that soon you’ll be able to do everything we can and so much more. It normally takes at least a year for a new Nykara to learn what they can do. I can already tell you’re going to learn very quickly, which is just as well seeing that you are the Kaelneth. You’re going to need to learn everything you can in order to protect yourself.”

  “Protect myself?”

  “Once word gets out that the Kaelneth has come amongst the Nykara you’ll almost become like a celebrity. But that also means that the Grynn will know as well. The other night the man in your window was a Grynn Alix. That’s why you haven’t been alone since. Don’t worry, you’re still safe, we’re here to protect you until you learn to use your magic. We believe that the Grynn were simply on a fact-finding mission. There have been reports all over the country of similar occurrences of the Grynn and Nykara who are about to turn seventeen. There hasn’t been another Grynn around here since, so we believe they don’t know anything specific about you yet.”

  Natalie touched Rick’s arm. “I think that’s enough of that right now dear, you’re scaring her.”

  And Natalie was right, it was scaring her, and Alix hated to be scared.

  “Alix … Alix … Alix, come back to me.” Ben was trying to get her attention and give his dad a dirty look at the same time. “Alix, it’s okay. I can tell you’re about to freak out a little, but everything is okay right at this moment. Remember a few minutes ago how excited you were to learn some magic. Let’s get back to that ok. No one can hurt you here, alright?

  Alix shook her head and started breathing slowly again. She took Ben’s hands again and tried to calm down and put the scary stuff out of her head. She was determined to be strong and she really, really wanted to do something magical.

  “Okay,” she said, “Let’s try this again. What do I do now?”

  “Take your hands and touch the ground beside you. Do you feel the energy stronger now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now I want you to take some of that energy and pull it into your body. Feel the energy of nature in your fingertips and palms. Feel it move into your arms and spread to your chest and down into your legs. Let the energy fill your body. When you’re ready let me know how you’re doing.”

  Alix sat there with her hands touching the grass. Although it sounded crazy she tried to do what Ben was asking. She sat there for a minute and felt the energy all around her, but she couldn’t get it to enter her body. She didn’t want to give up but was getting frustrated.

  “I can tell by the look on your face Alix that you’re starting to get frustrated. Just relax and let your body take over. It knows what to do. Your mind will allow it to happen, just relax and don’t force it.”

  She took a few calming breaths and tried again. She let her mind go blank. Instead of trying to force the energy to enter her she just sat there and let the energy surround her. It felt good, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. As soon as she stopped trying so hard she could feel it. The energy started to flow into her. It was amazing.

  “It’s working. I can feel it. Wow. This is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

  “You’re doing great Alix. Now I want you to picture a flower in your head. What it looks like, feels like, and smells like. Make it as real as you can. Have you got one?”

  Alix nodded. The first thing that came to mind was the flower from her dream, the same flower that was her tattoo.

  “Okay, now I want you to try and grow that flower in front of you. Take the energy that you have in your body and use it to make the flower grow. See it grow in your mind then make that happen on the ground.”

  She did as instructed. She could see it clearly in her head and sort of pushed the energy out and made the flower grow. She felt a little bit of the energy leave her as the flower was growing. She could feel when it had happened when the flower became reality. Alix heard Natalie gasp, Shay say ‘wow’ and Ben snickered. She was almost scared to open her eyes and see what happened. Slowly she opened them. Her mouth dropped open at what she saw. Not only was there a perfect flower from her dreams in front of her but she and Ben were completely surrounded by them. There had to be at least a hundred flowers. Everyone was staring at her.

  “Um … what happened? Why are you all looking at me as if I sprouted a second head?” she asked turning to Rick.

  “It seems that you have more power than an average Nykara. Tell me what you pictured in your head.”

  “The first thing I thought of was the flower like my tattoo. It was so pretty in my dreams, but I couldn’t touch it. I wanted to see it. I pictured a flower growing in front of me.”

  “Just one flower?”

  “Yes. Did I do something wrong?”

  “No Alix, you did everything right.” He was smiling. “I’ve just never seen something like this before. You’re going to be amazing.”

  “I’m still confused. Why does everyone look so shocked?”

  “First of all,” Ben said, “you said you only pictured one flower and look how many grew. That in itself is amazing. But what’s even more amazing is you were able to grow a flower that didn’t even exist on the planet until now. And you don’t even seem tired.”

  “What do you mean exactly?”

  “Let me tell you a little story. You know that I only turned seventeen a few months, ago right? Well even though I grew up knowing about magic I struggled to make anything happen at first. After I finally figured out what the energy was and how to use it I tried to grow a flower. Well, a dandelion actually. After a few hours, I finally managed to grow a leaf. One tiny leaf about the size of a peanut. That was all I could manage and was wiped out. The next day I was back at it. I was able to grow another leaf, this one about the size of my pinky finger. After about five days I was finally able to grow a dandelion that looked like it was supposed to. Five days Alix. It to
ok me a couple more days to be able to do more than one and still have energy left over. And you just made a hundred flowers that don’t even have a name because you invented them, and you aren’t even winded. You are powerful Alix.”

  Ben sat there grinning while Alix thought about what he said. She had trouble wrapping her head around what he was saying. All her life Alix only thought about herself as an ordinary, average girl. And now Ben was telling her she was powerful, and Rick and Natalie were looking at her as if she was someone special. It was a lot for her to absorb.

  “Um … I don’t really know what to say. I almost feel like I should be apologizing for being me.”

  “Oh Alix,” Natalie said as she sat down beside her. “The last thing you need to apologize for is being you. You’re a good person and have very powerful magic in you. I understand why you would be the Chosen One. I also understand that this must be extremely overwhelming. But trust me, when you get more comfortable with your magic you’ll start to see the potential in yourself, just like we can. All you need to do right now is go at your own pace. Don’t force anything and it will become fun. Try to not think about being the Kaelneth and just learn what you can do.”

  “Learn what I can do huh.”

  It was Shay that broke the tension that Alix was feeling. “So, show me what you can do magic girl.”

  Alix had to smile at that. Magic girl. Magic. She let that sink in for a minute. Wasn’t she always wishing that she could be like the characters in the books she read? Well now maybe she could be.

  Alix squared her shoulders and looked at Ben. “Okay, I’m ready to learn more.”

  She practiced growing things for the rest of the morning. They stopped for lunch and continued practicing all afternoon. Whenever Alix got a bit tired she refreshed her energy from the power of nature. By the end of the day, she had grown many different flowers, several shrubs, and even two trees.

  “I have never felt so alive,” Alix said to Shay. “I can’t even describe the feeling but it’s amazing.”

  “Well, I wish you could share it. I’m exhausted and all I did was watch.”

  Ben bumped her arm with his elbow. “You were fabulous today you know. I’m still amazed at how quickly you could do everything. I can’t wait to see what else you can do.”

  Alix just blushed a little. She was in awe of what she had done too. She still had a hard time believing that she was able to do all those things. She was excited to tell her mom and dad what she had accomplished.

  Everyone was back in the house and Natalie grabbed some cookies for a snack.

  “Do you have any questions after your first day?” Rick asked her.

  “Actually, I do. Do you have any idea what all I’ll be able to do?

  “Unfortunately, no we don’t. After what I saw you do today I think you might be capable of anything you want to do. It’s believed that the Kaelneth might possess magic from all the types of Nykara and I think that might be true. We might have to bring in extra help for your training. There are a lot of Nykara in Sunset Creek and the surrounding area, so we’ll be able to get you all the help you’ll need.”

  “Cool.” After her first day of practice, Alix was excited to learn everything she could. It wasn’t as scary or as hard as she thought it was going to be, so she had a lot more confidence in herself.

  After the cookies were gone Ben drove them home. He told them he would pick them up tomorrow at the same time as today.

  Alix’s parents were both home when she got there. They looked a little anxious when she first saw them but after she told them all about her day they relaxed a little. She wasn’t sure if she should have told them everything, but no one told her not to. Tomorrow she was going to ask Rick if she could show them what she could do. They ate dinner and watched TV like it was a normal day. It made her feel good that at least part of her life was still the same. She went to bed early as it had been a long and eventful day.

  Chapter 26

  The rest of the week continued in much the same manner. She would spend all day learning new kinds of magic. She could now camouflage herself using the surrounding nature. She was able to move natural objects and manipulate the ground as well as all types of water. She was having a hard time believing all of the cool stuff she was able to do. She even learned that there were hundreds of creatures and beings that only Nykara could see, and many of them lived around the cabin and on the property. Her favorite one was a small fairy-like creature that was no bigger than her thumb, its wings were sort of like a dragonfly and they all seemed to be a different color. She learned that’s what it was that pulled her hair in the forest a few weeks ago.

  During her week of learning, Ben was also teaching her to draw. He told her now that she had come into her magic, drawing was going to come easier to her. She was skeptical at first but once again he was right. She was nowhere as good as he was, but she could now draw something that was actually recognizable. She had even started a book that was just for her drawings. Ben said that the more clearly, she could visualize something the easier the magic would come. So, she was drawing different types of flowers, bushes, trees, leaves, and landscapes. She was also drawing the new creatures she was seeing and adding their names as she was going. There were a lot of pictures of the Viku, which she learned was the name of the fairy things she liked.

  Alix had also met several of the other Nykara that lived in Sunset Creek. Seeing as her gift was so unique, Natalie and Rick recruited some help to train her. It appeared as if there was nothing she couldn’t do if she set her mind to it. Everyone that had come to help train her was shocked at how quickly she learned and how much power she seemed to be able to pull from nature.

  She learned in a week what it took other Nykara months or even years to accomplish. Alix also loved showing her parents what she could do. She was so glad she was able to share it with them. They were the only parents she had ever known, and she loved them with all of her heart.

  She was finally able to stop training on Sunday afternoon. They were back in the house when Alix suddenly thought of something.

  “Hey Ben,” she said and smacked him in the arm.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “That’s for lying to me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “That day you walked me home when the power went out at my dad’s office.”

  “Um … okay … how is that my fault?”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about you creating that ball of light and lying to me about it.”

  “Oh yeah,” he said sheepishly. “I’m sorry about that. To be honest I did it without even thinking so when you saw it I had to pretend that nothing happened. Please forgive me.”

  Ben gave Alix his best charming look which made her cheeks turn red.

  “Okay fine,” she huffed, “I forgive you.”

  They joined Natalie in the kitchen. Natalie showed Alix how to use her magic to help with cooking. And it was no big surprise that she learned the cookies that Natalie made them the first time they went over there were made by magic. As long as the ingredients they were using were ‘natural,’ as most foods are, she was able to use her magic to handle them. Alix found that she could cook way faster using her magic. It made her giggle the entire time they were in the kitchen.

  When Alix and her parents got home they sat down in the living room to talk about the week. As they were talking Alix got to thinking about the letters her mom mentioned from her biological mother. At a pause in the conversation, Alix decided to ask.

  “Mom, do you think I could see the letters from my mother? I think I’m ready to read them now.”

  “Of course, honey. Let me go get them.” Her mom was back in the living room a couple of minutes later with two envelopes. “These are yours to keep. Do whatever you want with them.” She handed them to Alix with a smile.

  “Thanks, mom.” Alix got up and gave her a hug. “I think I’ll go to my room and read thes
e. I love you.”

  “I love you too honey.”

  Alix went to her bedroom and sat down on her bed. She put both envelopes in front of her and stared at her mother’s neat writing. One envelope said Heather and the other said, Alix. She decided to start with the one addressed to her mom. She slowly opened it and pulled out the letter.

  Dear Heather,

  I can’t even begin to put into words what it means to me that you’re doing this for me. Giving up my precious baby is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. You are indeed the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I know I wasn’t able to say much and we had to leave in a hurry, so I’ve written this letter in order to explain our situation. First, I want you to understand that the reason we’re leaving Alix with you is to keep her safe. Right now, no one from my world can know where she is. Sean and I are part of a world where magic exists. It’s against the rules for me to tell you anything about this but I feel it’s necessary in order for you to fully understand what’s happening, why we did this and to protect Alix.

  Sean and I are Nykara. It’s a race of magic people that coexist with humans. Nykara are very peaceful and help the human race whenever they can. Also, part of this world is the Gyrnn. They are the evil to the Nykara’s good. Even though Alix is just a baby I believe she’s in danger. I’ve had some dreams that are too real for me to ignore. They are telling me that the Grynn will be after Alix when she comes of age. The best way I can think to prevent this and keep her safe is to have her grow up with a human family and having no knowledge of the magic she is capable of. The dreams are also telling me that she will be special among the Nykara people. All I want is for her to grow up as normal as possible and to stay safe.

  To help keep her safe I’ll be asking another huge favor. There is a place in Montana called Sunset Creek. It’s a special place for Nykara. I need you to move there. It’s a small town but there are a lot of Nykara there who can help Alix when she gets older. I wouldn’t ask unless it was extremely important.