Eden-South (6 page)

“You are so young,” Elisa blurted out,
immediately cursing herself for being rude.

The witch laughed, pouring them both a cup
of tea. “Young in age, my dear, but old in my soul. I’ve had
centuries of teachings passed down to me, and that can’t help but
age one’s inner spirit. Now, what is your name?”

Elisa was shocked by this, assuming this
woman would just know her somehow. Was she not psychic?

“I am no fortune-teller,” she interrupted
her thoughts. “I know things, but not all. Some things I choose not
to look for, finding it nicer to have people introduce themselves
normally. Normality is fiercely underrated.”

“I apologize for my rudeness,” she replied,
feeling her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. “My name is Elisa,”
she introduced herself.

“Ah, you are Alistair’s star pupil, and also
the great Captain Turk’s daughter, then. They must be in great need
if they sent you here alone.”

Elisa nodded her head, searching for the
words the High Priest had told her to recount. “The High Priest
told me to tell you that the time has come for the warrior to be
awakened. The force in the north is growing too strong, and they
fear our men will not be enough to destroy the monsters the
sorcerer has created.” The witch grunted at that remark, but
remained quiet. Elisa continued on with her narrative. “Alistair
has discussed their weaknesses with the High King and his
Chancellor, and both have agreed that they need a force of their
own. Something that will be strong enough to challenge whatever
Brutus and Callum send down the mountain. We need the foretold
warrior, before Eden is lost forever.”

The witch stood up and walked toward the
fire in the stove. She was silent for a while. Elisa sat in
silence, awkwardly waiting for her to respond. Even though her
father and the High Priest had trusted her with this message, and
the journey it entailed, she had no idea what any of it meant.
Alistair had explained that there was a great warrior that would
help them to victory, but she didn’t understand why they needed the
witch, or where this warrior actually was. Unexpectedly, the witch
began to smile.

“I understand the great need Eden has for
this one, but I’m not sure your father and Alistair realize the
work that is still yet to be done. I will get this warrior for them
at the next full moon. You may come back here to get him.” She
turned to look at Elisa. “You alone. Until then, you must explain
to your elders that he will not be what they expect in the
beginning, and that I hope they are ready for quite a challenge.
Anyone can achieve great things, as long as they are given the time
and encouragement one needs to reach it. They must be great
teachers now, and great leaders if this warrior is to bring any
sort of help to the army of Eden. Go now, and be back at the next
full moon. He will be waiting.”

CHAPTER THREE

It was the last day of his suspension, and to
Aiden it felt like he had been home for two months. His mother was
driving him nuts, and the confines of the house felt like a prison.
Since he was suspended from school for fighting, his mother had
decided that he should also be grounded from going out anywhere.
That left the house and the yard as the only places he was allowed
to roam. It was insane. Keeping a fifteen-year-old boy locked up
like this was cruel and unusual punishment.

“Aiden!” his mother yelled up the stairs at
him. Looking over at his clock, he saw it was only seven in the
morning. That was another thing that was driving him mad.
Originally, he had viewed his suspension as the perfect vacation
away from school, and the chance for him to sleep in. His mother,
on the other hand, did not see it that way. She woke him up at the
same time as usual, and gave him a list of chores to do in order to
keep him busy. Groaning, he swung himself out of bed and looked for
a decently clean pair of pants to put on, amongst the mess covering
his floor. “Aiden!” she yelled again.

“I’m up!” he yelled back. “I’m up.” Running
his hands through his hair, he actually thought it would be nice
when he could go back to school. There was a thought he had never
imagined having.

He climbed down the stairs to the upper
floor, and saw Eddie standing in her crib from the outside hall.
“Good morning,” he said, smiling at her. She reached out for him,
so he obliged and went in to pick her up. As they were going down
the stairs to the main floor, Eddie giggled as he pretended to be a
horse, running her down the hall to the kitchen. His mother was in
there making breakfast for the baby. She smiled when she saw the
two together.

“Good morning, my beautiful children.” She
smiled, tickling Eddie’s belly. It would be better, he thought, if
he were allowed to sleep in past seven. “I want you to clean up
that room today, Aid,” she started right away. “When you’re done
that, you can go outside and cut the grass in the back. Your dad is
working late tonight, so he won’t have time to do it himself.”
Sure,
he thought.
She’s just looking to torture me as
much as she can.

“Yes, Mom,” he mumbled. She set down a bowl
of cereal in front of him and kissed the top of his head, before
sitting beside the high chair to feed Eddie.

“And how is my little angel this
morning
?
” she started cooing. Eddie responded in
indiscernible words. Aiden sat there miserably as he ate his
cereal, wondering what else she would throw at him once he got the
first two things on his list done.

That afternoon, he found himself pushing the
mower across the long grass in the unbearable heat of the sun. The
air was unseasonably warm, and sweat poured down his face. Cursing
the whole time, he walked the length of the backyard back and forth
until the whole area was short and manicured. His mother walked out
with a glass of water, taking a look at his work.

“You’ll need to rake up the grass when
you’re done,” she pointed out. He rolled his eyes, but didn’t say
anything. Instead, he drank the whole glass of water in one shot,
feeling dehydrated from sweating so much. “There are garbage bags
in the garage.”

“Okay,” he replied, walking back over to
where he had left the lawnmower.

“Isn’t being suspended fun?” his mother
called out, before turning to go back inside. He looked over at her
retreating form in anger.

“Someone, kill me,” he breathed out
loud.

After cleaning up the grass, Aiden had the
bright idea to stay in the garage and appear busy. So far it had
worked, because his mother had yet to come out and find him. He sat
on one of the lawn chairs in there and watched the cars drive by.
It wasn’t much fun, but it was better than doing more chores.
Around three thirty Ethan came up the driveway and saw Aiden
sitting in the garage.

“Hey,” he called out. “What are you doing in
here?” he asked, looking around.

“Hiding,” Aiden replied honestly.

“Hiding? From what?”

“My mother,” he replied. “She has been on me
ever since I got suspended. She keeps giving me all these things to
do around here, and it’s driving me nuts.”

Ethan chuckled, grabbing a seat beside him.
“Well, I guess it is her job to punish you, right?” Aiden looked
over at him like he had just been betrayed. “Sorry,” he said,
laughing and holding up his hands. “You’re right: that evil woman!
What was I thinking?”

“Whatever,” Aiden replied, kicking at a
pebble on the floor. “So how was school today?”

“Boring as usual, so don’t worry—you haven’t
missed much. Although Melissa did ask about you today.”

Aiden sat up and looked at him in shock.
“Really? What did she say?”

“She just asked what happened to you, and
when I told her you had been suspended, she asked if you were all
right.”

“Really?” Aiden smiled. She had actually
asked if he was all right. She cared about how he was.

“Yes, really.” Ethan rolled his eyes. “She
also professed her undying love for you, and said she can’t wait to
bear your children.”

Aiden shoved him, almost sending him right
off his chair. “Shut up,” he said. Ethan laughed in response,
telling him he was a lovesick fool. The two of them sat in the
garage for a while, before his mother finally found them. She told
Ethan he had to go, reminding Aiden that he was grounded and
therefore was not allowed to see his friends. Ethan said his
goodbyes, and once again Aiden was left alone in his prison.

“Come inside and watch your sister for a
bit,” his mother said, waiting for him to get out of the garage
before closing it. His one last sanctuary was gone. “I need to go
to the store and grab some things for dinner.”

After they ate, Aiden went up to his bedroom
and hid from the rest of his family. He was exhausted from the
day’s chores, and looked at his bed with longing. He still had too
much homework to do, though, so sleep would have to wait. Turning
on his computer, he waited while the thing booted up. Ethan chatted
to him while he worked, and before he knew it, it was already ten.
Letting out a long yawn, he told Ethan they’d talk tomorrow and
shut down the computer. Walking down the stairs toward the
bathroom, he passed by Eddie’s room and saw her standing in the
crib.

“Why, hello, little one.” He smiled,
entering the bedroom. She smiled back, reaching up for him to grab
her. “It’s bedtime,” he said quietly, lifting her into his arms.
Sitting on the rocking chair that sat in a corner of her room, he
picked up a book that lay beside it and started to read to her as
they rocked. Eddie sat contently in his lap as he read, resting the
back of her head against his chest.

“What’s going on in here?” he heard his
mother say. He looked up to see her standing in the doorway.

“Just a quick bedtime story,” he answered,
smiling.

“Sucker,” she said. “Looks like she knows
who’s wrapped around her finger.” He shrugged, knowing it was the
truth. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for his sister. He finished
reading and then passed her off to their mother, giving her a quick
kiss on the forehead. Heading toward the bathroom, he wondered what
it must be like to be a baby. Everything was done for you. There
were no responsibilities, no problems at that age.
How nice it
must be,
he thought.

Climbing back up to the attic, he called out
a quick goodnight to his parents before shutting the door.

“See you in the morning, buddy,” his dad
replied.

“Love you,” added his mom.

He crawled into bed and immediately fell
asleep.

It didn’t last for long.

As he lay in bed, his mind deep in sleep,
there was a voice calling his name in the distance. At first he
thought it was part of the dream, but something tugged at his
conscious mind, and suddenly he found himself sitting up in bed,
his covers lying next to it on the floor. He stared at the wall in
front of him, trying to gather his wits, before he realized
something had woken him up. Looking over at the clock, he saw it
was midnight. Something about his room was off. He realized there
was a ray of light coming through the small window on the side of
his room, which lit up the whole space.

“What the hell is that?” he asked out loud.
Getting off the bed, he walked over to peer down to the side yard.
At first he couldn’t see anything, the light practically blinding
him. Then he realized someone was standing there, shining a light
right at his room. Opening the window, he yelled down at the
figure, but the person didn’t seem to hear him. Cursing, he left
his room and headed outside. He was tired, and it got cold outside
at night, but he had to tell the person where to go, so he or she
would stop shining the damn light. Trying to be as quiet as he
could, he crept down both sets of stairs, and went to the back
patio doors that led off the kitchen. Making his way through the
backyard, he wondered what kind of person found this type of prank
funny. He certainly didn’t.

As he rounded the corner, he saw the light
was gone, but the figure still stood there.

“Hey,” he called out. “Get out of here! What
do you think you’re doing?” The person didn’t respond; instead, the
figure continued to stand still, the head turning slightly toward
him when he spoke. Feeling his anger rise, he stormed over to the
person, ready to give him or her a piece of his mind. “Look, I
don’t know if you think this is funny or something, but it’s not.
Who do you think you are, pulling a prank like this?” As he came
closer he saw it was a
woman
.

She stood rigid, regarding him up and down
as he approached. His voice seemed to fail him as he stood in front
of her. Something was odd about her. She wore a long robe made of
pure white that sparkled in the moonlight. She had long blonde
hair, and her eyes seemed to look right through him. She still
hadn’t spoken a word, but something about her made him uneasy.

Finally, she smiled at him, making his face
feel hot. Who was this woman?

“My name is Diana,” she said, almost
answering his thought. “I come from a land called Eden, and I’ve
come to get you, Aiden.” She knew his name. Taking a step back, he
looked around for other people hiding in a bush, ready to start
laughing at him, or a camera focused on him to capture his
reaction.

“What kind of joke is this?” he asked,
turning back to her. “Who are you?”

“I told you who I am, Aiden. I am Diana, a
witch from Eden, where the High King and High Priest have sent me
to get you. You must come with me to Eden. It is where you will
fulfil your life’s purpose.”

Without warning, he began to laugh. In
situations that were either exceptionally sad, or awkward, Aiden
had the reaction of laughing. It was uncontrollable, and usually
inappropriate. The woman, Diana apparently, didn’t seem to take
offence, and simply waited for his laughter to subside.