“Which is why,”
Laci broke in excitedly, “A college town like Bellingham is a good place to
come across unknowing Seers – young people entering adulthood who’ve had
visions all their lives but don’t know why and no one else in their family has
them. We are always on the lookout and when we find a Seer, we bring them into
our Circle and reassure them they’re not alone.”
Madison yawned
and interjected, “What they really need is to
link
and become Guardians;
they just don’t know it.” She reached over and grasped Jason’s arm.
Clearly
irritated, Max jumped in again. “Wait, wait. We’re getting ahead of ourselves
here. Come on guys, let me continue. It will make more sense.”
“Good idea,”
Jason snapped, glaring at Madison. He pulled his arm away and jumped out of his
seat. “Anyone want something to drink?” he asked, looking directly at me.
“Some water,” I
said appreciatively, and everyone else chimed in as well. “Nice kitchen,” I
commented.
“Galley,” five
voices corrected.
“Looks like
we’ll have to enlighten you on proper maritime terminology as well,” Madison
said, brushing her brow and stifling a yawn. “Just so you know, this is the
Salon.”
I didn’t dignify
that comment with a response, and Max gave her a sideways glance before
starting up again. Jason tossed water bottles around the room, and rather than
sit down in the chair again, he leaned against the Galley counters next to Max
and stared out the side windows. His neck looked horrible, and his face was
scratched up and a bit swollen, but he was alive. That’s all I cared about. As
if he could read my thoughts, he diverted his attention away from the windows
and bored his eyes into mine. My heart skipped several beats.
“Lexi, are you
listening?” Max asked.
Flushing, I
looked guiltily at Max. “Yes. Of course I am. Keep going.”
“As I was
saying,” Max pressed his hands together, “when a Seer’s body reaches full
maturity, the visions become more frequent – almost spinning out of control.
The Seer usually develops flu-like symptoms, but regardless of whether they do
or not – they must link.”
“Why?” I asked,
deciding I wanted more clarification than what I’d read in Grandma Rose’s
journal.
Max shifted his
weight and gave me a dismal look. “Different people have different reactions.
That’s what makes it so unpredictable. A few Seers have lost their ability to
have premonitions, and therefore, never become Guardians and instead live
normal lives as
Innocents
. Some Seers develop really high fevers which
results in brain damage. But the majority of Seers who don’t link, die within
days.” He wiped his brow. “
Linking
is paramount.”
Wide-eyed, I
whispered, “Oh, okay.”
“Linking is not
gender specific; although, the majority of links tend to be male-female because
they’re usually stronger. The actual process of linking is really quite
simple.”
Laci jumped to her
feet, faced Max, and held out her hands. Their fingers interlaced, and they
tilted their heads forward until their foreheads were touching.
“They’re already
linked,” Jason remarked for my benefit. “They’re just showing you what it would
look like. They’d search for each other’s thoughts until they found them on the
same metaphysical plane. Almost instantaneous, the process takes no more than a
matter of seconds.”
“Once linked,
are you linked forever?” I asked.
Biting his lower
lip and wringing his hands together, Jason said, “Whenever there is a full
moon, all links break. Guardians can choose to re-link with the same person or
a different person anytime that day or over the next several days. But if a
Guardian waits too long to re-link, he or she will face those same consequences
Max mentioned a minute ago. The ones a Seer faces if they don’t link. So rather
than face an uncertain future or the possibility of death, we typically re-link
within a couple days.”
Sitting up
straighter, I said, “So linking is crucial to your survival; I get that. You
don’t really want to remain unlinked and gamble with your life. What about the
special abilities you have? Do those come with linking?” I asked, thinking
about Grandma Rose’s journal again and about what I’d witnessed in the forest.
“Yes,” Max said.
“Upon linking, all Guardians gain extreme strength and speed, as well as
telepathy with the person to whom they are linked.”
“Oh yeah, I knew
that,” I said excitedly. “It was really weird. I was standing behind Jason—”
Cutting me off
sharply, Jason said, “And I told her I’d spoken with Madison telepathically. I
let her know you’d be arriving in a matter of minutes.” He sent me a weighty
look, and I closed my mouth. Shocked to hear him lie so blatantly in front of
everyone, I decided to follow his lead and ask him about it later.
“Okay good,” Max
said. “So when linked, our bodies are able to heal themselves, but it’s a slow
process. If we are injured bad enough it takes several days. In addition, using
our abilities drains our Essence.”
“That’s where
Amethysts and our powerful Essence come in handy,” Jessica said proudly. “We
step in, and after a few seconds or minutes, we can have them restored to
health.” She smiled and smacked me lightly on the back.
“The most unique
ability that linking presents us with differs from Guardian to Guardian and
changes based upon who we link with,” Max said. “We call that ability our
Flair.”
“Flair,” I
repeated, tapping my fingertips together. Turning my attention to Jason, I
said, “Kieran called you…”
“An Imitator,”
he replied and crossed his arms. “Any time another Guardian uses their Flair, I
can copy it.”
“Amazing,” I
said in awe. “First you copied Andrew with his wild spheres—”
“He’s an Energy
Manipulator,” Jason supplied, “and Kieran is a Shapeshifter.”
“Are you saying
he can change into any animal he wants?”
Max stepped
forward. “Yes. But usually there is one form that feels most natural, therefore
lending itself as the best option.”
Looking at Max
in a new light, I suddenly realized he was also a Shapeshifter. “Ah ha, like
you arriving as a cheetah because it’s the fastest animal, but changing back
into a bear immediately after Kieran disappeared into the woods?”
“Yes,” he said
and stretched his arms behind his back. “Once I saw you were safe, I
immediately changed back into the form I’m most comfortable with – a black
bear.”
“Extraordinary,”
I said breathlessly. “And thank you; you arrived just in time.” He nodded, and
I pointed at Laci.
“I’m a Shield–”
“A Shield?” I
thought about that and a wild thought crossed my mind. Excited, I jumped to my
feet. “That was you in the alley that night! The Mastiff smacked into your
shield; he wasn’t repelled by the pepper spray.” Biting my lip, my eyes darted
to Max. “And you were the Wolfhound.”
“That was you?”
Laci and Madison said in unison.
“Yes,” I
answered and listened as Madison recounted that night in the dark alley.
Afterwards, I looked at Laci and said, “But I didn’t see you in the forest
today.”
“Jessica and I
drove the car. We couldn’t reach you as fast as Madison and Max could on foot.
I needed to stay with Jessica and shield her – keep her identity protected.” I
gave her a funny look as she rubbed her hands together. “Amethysts are rare,
and we don’t take any chances that might reveal Jessica’s identity.”
Pondering that
comment, I thought about the flying buckets and tree branches. I looked at
Madison. “You’re telekinetic.”
She smiled,
brushed her hair away from her face, and said smugly. “I can move any object
with my mind and manipulate it to my will.” My water bottle lifted off the
coffee table and fell into my lap. Leave it to Madison to show off.
“We should eat,”
Laci announced and walked into the galley. As a pleasure craft whipped past,
she grabbed the counter and said, “Madison, will you help?”’
“Oh fine,”
Madison huffed but hopped out of her chair. As they began preparations, Max and
Jason sat down in the two empty chairs. Behind them, the sun appeared to be
dropping rapidly in the sky; nightfall would be upon us soon. I wondered how
long I’d been unconscious.
“This brings us
to the Ray-pacs,” Max said. “Also known as the Rapacious—”
“Rapacious?” I
repeated loudly. “I know that word. I think it was in my daily calendar, but…”
Max was looking at me cross-eyed, so I frowned and mumbled, “Sorry. Never mind.
What’s it mean?”
“It means living
on prey or taking by force,” he said gruffly.
“Oh,” I said and
shut my mouth so he could finish.
Pressing his
lips together, he fixated on his hands. “As with every aspect of life, greed
and the lust for power can corrupt even the most pure of hearts. As Guardians,
we use our visions to act in the interest of saving the Innocents, but we must
be careful in our interactions with them. When we are linked we have the
ability to draw Essence away from people through touch.” I arched my eyebrows,
but he kept talking. “Essence is powerful and energizing. It gives us more
strength, as well as greater potential in our abilities. As we sleep it
regenerates, but if we need it badly enough we can get it from others.” Max
stood up and paced back and forth. Stopping, he looked at me and said, “A long
time ago, a few Guardians started experimenting with drawing Essence from
animals. They were rewarded when it made their abilities more prolific and recharged
their Essence as well. Eventually, that need for instant gratification became
innate. Those Guardians began stealing Essence from animals. Often the animals
died.”
Shuddering, I
whispered, “That’s so cruel.”
The creases at
the corner of his mouth deepened. “Well prepare yourself; it gets much worse.”
His hands balled into fists at his sides, and I sunk lower into the couch. I
already had a good idea where this conversation was heading. “After some time,
those Guardians became like addicts who needed a fix. They also gained the
characteristics of a well-fed housecat, one which will pursue wildlife not
because of hunger, but because of the natural instinct to hunt and kill. With
their linked talents of speed and athleticism, they were skilled predators.”
Gripping the
edges of my shorts, I kept my eyes glued on Max and mumbled, “Like Kieran.”
He nodded, a
dark fury raged in his eyes. “Feral and savage, they were condemned as outcasts
and became known as the Rapacious.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “Then
the unthinkable happened,” he said and stared right at me. “They began preying
on Innocents. More recently they’ve been stealing all of a person’s Essence,
leaving them dead.”
I sat straight
up. “That’s it, isn’t it?” I said aloud. “The Ray-pacs are responsible for all
the bizarre things happening across the nation. It’s not some strange new
virus. Those people had their Essence stolen.” Max and the others nodded at my
understanding. “And the mysterious deaths…that’s when a Ray-pac has completely drained
a person of all their Essence. That’s why there’s nothing in the toxicology
reports that points to a cause of death.”
The room was
silent. I looked from one stark face to another. “And now they’re here.”
Looking at Laci, I added, “That’s what they wanted from the girl in the alley.”
She nodded and I said, “And you happened along just at the right time?”
“I had a
premonition of the jogger and the dog,” Madison interjected.
My mouth hung
open. Interesting…so she and I must have had similar premonitions. Not yet
ready to come clean, I diverted my gaze to Jessica. “The college students?”
She nodded.
“Yes, and luckily they were still alive. If the victims are still alive, I can
help. And so can you. That’s the main reason we need your help. We need you to
become an Amethyst and help save people who’ve been left almost Essence-less by
the Ray-pacs.”
I nodded but
continued with a frown, “Kieran was gloating about the B.C. killings.”
“I bet he was,”
Max said in a deadly voice. “The four victims in B.C. last week were not
Innocents; they were all Guardians. It was a great loss. Guardians have become
a target because their Essence is more gratifying. And we believe they are
searching for Amethysts as well.”
No one said a
word as water lapped against the side of the boat, and an engine rumbled in the
distance. I looked at Jason. “You would have died immediately after Kieran had
stolen all your Essence?”
Jason nodded
slowly. “Yes. If you hadn’t stopped him, I wouldn’t be here.”
I swallowed
hard. “Then I’m glad I didn’t listen to you.”
He frowned but
glanced over at Max and said, “Kieran’s strength was incredible; he must have
taken most of the Essence from the B.C. Guardians for himself rather than
sharing.” He slammed his fist into his hand. “I just wish we’d tracked them and
destroyed them after your first meeting in the alley.”
“That was a big
mistake,” Max agreed angrily. We should have searched harder after the trail
went cold. Instead we assumed they were drifters and wouldn’t return.”
I looked at Max
and asked, “Did Kieran get away again?”
“Yes.” He
shifted his feet.
“Andrew?” I
asked.
“No!” Madison
responded furiously from the galley. A knife lifted itself off the counter like
a jet plane, flew across the room, and lodged itself in the wall.
“Madison!” Jessica
yelped. “Control yourself.”
“I won’t
apologize for my Flair,” Madison said rebelliously.
I started
trembling, and Jessica tightened her hold on my shoulder. “What about Melanie?
Did I kill her?” I asked in revulsion.
“No,” Jason
said, bending down on the other side of the coffee table so he was eye level
with me. “You did not kill her. Max searched the woods and couldn’t find her.
But even if you had, it would have been in self-defense. Remember that.” He
grasped the table. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you before the tree fell on
you.”