Shifted (The Undari Trilogy Book 1)

by Sarah Reeves

  “When the Unseen’s leader was imprisoned, I thought that would be the end of it. But as with any terrorist organization, any member that goes missing or is killed is quickly replaced. In this case, the one that replaced the leader was the one that broke his predecessor out of jail, and they came for your father. They went underground afterwards, and nobody has seen or heard from them since. They never surfaced, until a few days ago. Exsanguination is their signature, along with the symbol you saw. When you told me about him, I wanted to take both of you kids and run as far as I could, but I didn’t know if he was after us, or if he was just there to wreak havoc. So I waited, which was probably not the smartest decision. Then the mark showed up on our lawn.”

  Alex was silent for a moment. “So how do you know so much about this group?” She asked finally.

  Jennifer’s voice was bitter. “When your father was killed, I became obsessed with finding him. The only reason I didn’t disappear too was because you were there and Teagan was on the way. I didn’t know about her until after Travis was gone. That, and I would have had no idea where to start. They disappeared completely off the face of the earth after killing your father.”

  Alex pondered that for a minute. Flashes of memory ran through her mind; her mother holding a picture from her wedding day and sobbing quietly in her room, sitting at the table surrounded by books and papers with the microwave clock reading three a.m.. “How long did you study them?”

  “Years. I was so sure they’d show their face again, and I was going to be ready when they did. But after a few years, I decided that my focus needed to be completely on you and your sister. I thought they were gone forever.”

  “Until now.”

  “Until now, yes.” Jennifer dragged her hands through her hair, and stood. “On that note, it’s time that you and I both went to bed. I’ve told you all I can for now.” She looked down at her daughter. “I am sorry I kept all this from you. I wish there was a better circumstance to explain things, but right now seems like the only opportunity.” She paused. “We should be safe here. Your grandmother said that we can stay as long as we need to, it won’t bother her. She’ll be back in a couple months, so until then, we have this place to ourselves.” She bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of Alex’s head. “Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “Love you too,” murmured Alex as her mother left, shutting the bedroom door softly behind her. She waited for ten seconds before picking her phone up again and dialing Oliver’s number.

  He answered on the first ring. “Hey.” His voice was tense, and quiet.

  “We made it to a safe place.” Alex said. “Is everything okay your way?”

  “For now,” came the reply. Silence. Then: “How are you feeling?”

  “Scared.” Alex exhaled on a short laugh. “Terrified, actually. Less so now that we’re somewhere else, but I can’t shake it. Teagan knows something is going on, but there’s no way to tell her what’s happening. I mean, what do you say? ‘Hey, Teagan, we had to leave because terrorists are after us and if we stay at home, we’re going to be murdered?’” She stood up and began to pace. “She’s seven, Oliver.”

  “I know. What did you end up telling her? I assume she’s asked by this point.”

  “That we’re on a vacation. There was nothing else we could tell her.” Running an agitated hand through her hair, Alex sat back down on the bed. “Were you able to find anything else out?”

  Oliver sighed. “No, not yet. We decided not to call the police about the symbol. They would end up needing to know where you guys are, and we can’t risk that. I looked into the sigil some more, but I can’t figure out what else it means. I can’t find any information about the Unseen, either. I keep getting these fantasy game websites every time I search the name. Has your mom told you anything else about it?”

  “She told me a few things, but none of what she told me answers the questions I really wanted answers to,” answered Alex. She pulled at the neck of her t-shirt. “I wonder if you broaden your search to include terrorist organizations if it would give us anything.”

  “Is that what she told you they were?” Oliver asked. Alex could hear the clacking of computer keys in the background. “Doesn’t matter. There’s nothing here on terrorist organizations, either. Are you sure that’s what she called them?”

  “Yeah,” Alex flapped the bottom of her shirt, trying to get some air flow. “That’s who she said killed my dad- why is it so hot in here, god!” She crossed to the window and flung it open, letting the cool night air in. Standing there, she was able to see the pond in the moonlight, shimmering silver and black. “That’s weird though. You can find information on the craziest things on the internet, so why can’t we find any mention of the Unseen anywhere?”

  Oliver was quiet for so long Alex almost thought he’d hung up on her. Then; “Do you think she was telling the truth?” He sounded hesitant. “I mean, I know she wouldn’t use your father’s death as a lie, I know that, and what she told you seems too elaborate for a lie. But it is kinda strange, don’t you think?”

  Alex sighed. “Yeah, it does. But just because we can’t Google it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, right?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “I know what I’ll do,” Alex said suddenly, turning away from the window. “Mom is probably going to need to go to the store tomorrow, right? Since this is my dad’s mom’s house, maybe there’s something around here that’ll be able to give me more information.”

  “You think so?” Oliver sounded dubious. “She might not know anything about it.”

  “Worth a shot.” Alex sat back down on the bed, finally cooled off to the point that she was comfortable. “I’ll let you and Hannah know what I find, okay?” Oliver assented, and they hung up. Alex laid down on her bed, but she couldn’t fall asleep right away. It was too hot, despite the fact that there was a healthy breeze coming through the open window. Eventually though, she drifted off.

  A few hours later, Alex woke covered in sweat. “Oh my god, why?” she said out loud. She took her shirt between her finger and thumb and peeled it away from her skin. The breeze from the window was lessened, and the sun was coming up. “Screw it, I give up on sleep.” She stood up and regarded herself in the full length mirror next to the closet. “Gross,” she muttered. Sweat drenched her clothes like she’d been working out for hours in extremely humid weather. Yanking her soaked shirt over her head, Alex threw it into the sink as she stalked into the bathroom. She started the shower, keeping it as cold as it would let her, and stood under the icy spray until her fingers looked like raisins. It felt fantastic, and it quickly cleared her mood. After drying herself off with one of the fluffy yellow towels under the sink, Alex pulled on a tank top and shorts and went downstairs in search of her mother. All she found was a note on the kitchen counter saying Teagan was still asleep and that Jennifer was headed to do some shopping. It was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

  She began her search in her grandmother’s room. Travis’s mother was a unique person, to say the least. Chippendale style mahogany furniture decked out the large rectangular room, which was decorated in shades of red and ivory. Alex opened a stately wardrobe to reveal not clothing but a set of antique looking swords, hilts set with precious stones that shone despite the obvious amount of age. Alex couldn’t help herself; she tested the edge of a particularly long sword and snatched her hand back with a small hiss, sucking the cut on her thumb as it stung sharply. The swords were old, but Grandma had kept them well maintained.

  Other than the weaponry, Alex found nothing of importance in the grandmother’s room, so she continued into her father’s old room. This room was done up very neatly, masculine in a way that wasn’t intrusive but left no doubt that this was a man’s room. Window coverings matched the bedspread, navy blue and solid. Bookshelves lined the wall opposite the bed. Alex walked over to them, noting the likeness to the bed frame and desk, all done in oak. There was a range of topics on the shelves,
dusty with age and lack of use. Alex picked a book at random and opened it; it was about the origin of mythology in world cultures. She didn’t read too much, however. She was on a mission.

  After scanning the titles on the bookshelves and finding nothing pertaining to her search, Alex made her way over to the desk. One drawer after another, she opened each to find paperwork detailing other cases Travis had handled in the past. Alex glanced over each to make sure she didn’t see anything about the Unseen there. Finally, she opened the last drawer to find a small wooden box, roughly the size of a shoe box. Opening it, she saw a range of items that she could only assume came from her father’s childhood. A harmonica, a slingshot complete with a few small rocks, a bouncy ball, and a necklace with a leather string. Alex carefully closed the box, smiling softly at the image of a young Travis playing in the woods with his little slingshot. She wished he were still around to tell her those kinds of stories.

  Finding nothing else, Alex made the decision to move on. After a second’s pause, she pocketed the box. The nostalgic part of her brain wouldn’t let her leave it there.

  Wandering through the house, Alex poked her head in various rooms (there were a lot more than she remembered), but nothing seemed promising until she was passing the doorway to the study and something caught her eye. “What the hell?” she whispered, entering the room and going straight to the window across from the door. There, barely hidden behind gossamer curtains, was the symbol of the Unseen. It was messily carved into the wall, but there was no mistaking it; someone had put it there. But why? Alex nearly called her mother to tell her they needed to leave immediately, but made herself calm down. There had to be a reason for this, right? Her grandmother wouldn’t carve the symbol of the organization that killed her father into the wall of her house for no reason. Unless the Unseen had put it there himself? But that was crazy, Alex’s grandmother was still alive. Then again, so was Alex and her family.

  Alex rubbed her face hard, then looked around at the rest of the room. If this was carved into the wall, there had to be something in the study that would help. Or that’s what she assumed, anyway. However, even after nearly tearing the area apart, there was nothing that she could see that had anything to do with what she was looking for.

  Throwing her hands up, Alex sat down heavily in a chair and laid her forehead against the desk. How hard was it for her to find information on the Unseen? Apparently extremely so, she thought. She sighed and pushed herself up out of the chair for another look at the carved emblem. This time, Alex reached into her pocket, drawing out her phone and turning on the camera. The phone clicked a couple times as she took the photos she needed before tucking the cell into her back pocket again. Now at least her and her two friends had a reference picture for further research. She’d leave that bit to Oliver, though, being that he knew the most about it out of the three of them. Without thinking about it, Alex leaned forward and reached out to touch the symbol.

  Just as her fingertips made contact with the rough cuts, heat shot from her fingers straight through to her heart. Alex gasped, jerking back and grabbing her chest as her heart skipped a beat and began to pound thickly against her ribs. What was that?

  She didn’t have time to dwell on it. “Alex?” said a sleepy voice behind her. The girl in question turned around quickly to see Teagan standing in the doorway, clutching a Tigger in her arms.

  Alex swallowed hard against her still throbbing heart. “Hey, you. How did you sleep?”

  “Good,” said the little girl. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah little one,” Alex went and picked Teagan up, settling her on her hip and carrying her towards the kitchen. “I’m okay. You want breakfast?”

  “Can we have pancakes?”

  “Of course we can.” And Alex spent the next little bit making the batter for Teagan’s breakfast and frying up some eggs, too. Grandma must’ve just left for her vacation, because the eggs hadn’t expired yet. Alex took it as a blessing.

  Jennifer came home just as Alex was setting Teagan’s food in front of her. Alex’s mother was laden with shopping bags, and set them down on the counter. “Good morning you two,” she said brightly. “How did you guys sleep?”

  “Good,” Alex lied. “We were just making breakfast. Want any pancakes?”

  “Yeah, it smells great!” Jennifer unloaded fruit and vegetables from the paper bags, along with a few of Teagan’s favorite snack foods and some other essential items. Turning around, she smiled at her eldest daughter. “I brought you some strawberries, so you don’t have to eat eggs with yours.”

  “Thank god,” Alex smiled back and took the package her mom was holding out. She popped the top on them, carrying them over to the sink to rinse. Once everything was put away and breakfast was ready, Alex and Jennifer sat down to eat with Teagan. Alex picked up her fork and immediately felt a small burning sensation where the utensil touched her hand. Confused, she looked down and her eyes widened. On the palm of the hand that had touched the mark in the study, there was charred skin in the exact image.

  “Honey?” Alex jerked her head up to meet her mother’s gaze. “Are you okay?”

  Alex nodded her head quickly. “Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking.” She ignored the worried look she received and started to eat. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was before just then; the pancakes were like heaven. Alex resolutely ignored the mark on her hand and focused instead on breakfast.

  The day passed without much incident; Alex and her mother were polite to each other, cordial, but both knew the other was hiding something. Throughout the afternoon, Alex mostly stayed outside where there was a constant soft wind in the trees. Her ‘hot flashes’ as she’d taken to calling them (she hoped that early menopause was what the medicine was for, and not something more serious) happened more and more frequently, to the point that Jennifer noticed. She caught her eldest daughter with the hose behind the house, wetting her head for the umpteenth time.

  “Is it that hot outside?” Jennifer bent to meet her daughter’s eye under the spray.

  “Yeah.” Alex straightened up and went to return the hose to the well house, turning the knob inside to shut off the flow of water. Shutting the door again, she turned back to her mother. “Don’t you feel it? It’s like the devil’s armpit out here.”

  Jennifer regarded Alex with a concerned frown. “Sweetie, it hasn’t gotten above seventy five degrees today.”

  Alex paused, studying her mother for a moment. “I guess it’s just me, then,” she said finally, wringing her hair out and pulling it back into a ponytail. “Maybe I’m about to start my cycle or something.”

  Jennifer said something, but Alex didn’t hear it. She didn’t ask her mother to clarify, either. This was just another reminder for Alex that she was sick, or at least being treated for something she didn’t know the name of. Part of her insisted that not taking the medication was stupid, because there was the chance that whatever was causing her heat problems was life threatening. The majority of her didn’t care, though. There was a level of certainty within her that she would be fine. How accurate that was remained to be seen.

  Besides having constantly wet hair, though, nothing of importance occurred for the rest of the afternoon. For that, Alex was relieved. She had been half expecting the Unseen to come in on a helicopter to blow the house to smithereens, but all was quiet.

  That evening, Alex finally came inside, still sweating, and went directly up to her room. It was too hot for her to eat; she was almost certain that she would get sick if she tried to have anything. Besides, there was that box of her father’s things she needed to go through and examine. At that point, Alex was so ravenous for information that she had nearly managed to convince herself there were secret documents attached to the interior of the harmonica. Before doing so, however, Alex picked up her cell and dialed Hannah and Oliver.

  “Hey you,” Hannah’s voice crackled over the line, followed by Oliver’s greeting. “How are you feeling?”

  “Unbel
ievably hot,” Alex said immediately.

  “I mean, yeah,” replied Hannah while Oliver snickered in the background. “But I wanted to know how you’re feeling health-wise?”

  Alex laughed. “Shut up,” she said. “I meant that health-wise, I’ve been burning up all day, and it hasn’t been warm enough outside for me to be sweating like this.”

  “Have you tried to take your temperature?” Oliver asked. “Or is it a fever?”

  “I guess it’s a fever? I don’t know.” Alex went into the bathroom, searching the medicine cabinet until she found a thermometer. “Fill me in while I take my temperature though.” She stuck the instrument under her tongue.

  Hannah went first. “There’s not been any kind of developments in the murder case, from what I’ve been able to find out,” she said. “Granted, there’s not a lot that I can do besides watch the news, but the most they’ve found is that the man who was killed was a hundred and three years old.”

  Alex made a noise of disbelief, still waiting on the beep that told her the thermometer was done. It was taking longer than she remembered.

  “Whether or not he was actually that old, I don’t think he was affiliated with your dad at all,” Oliver cut in. “I have a cousin in law enforcement, and I asked him if there was anything going on with the investigation he was allowed to share. He said there wasn’t a lot he could say, except that there was a lot of weird shit in the guy’s apartment. The weirdest thing they found was a bunch of weapons.”

  “Guns aren’t weird to have,” said Hannah dubiously.

  “I said weapons, not guns.” Oliver’s eye roll was audible. “I’m talking swords, old ones.

  Alex heard a beep and took the thermometer out. Before looking at it, she asked a question. “Were they sharp?”

  “What?”

  “Were the swords sharp?” she asked again.

  “Yeah,” answered Oliver. “Why?”

  “Because I found a bunch of swords today, when I was looking through my grandmother’s things for answers.” Alex lifted the thermometer and read it. And read it again. “What the fuck?”