Empyreal: Awaken - Book One (23 page)

He looked around and the Watcher was
nowhere to be found. Alex remembered his words. He had promised
that he would return. That he would be back. And from the look in
his foe's eyes, the Watcher intended to keep his word.

Alex knew that he must alert Cal and
the others, but how was he to explain the events that had just
occurred? How was he to explain what would surely lead to upcoming
events involving Coralie's safety?

Alex looked toward the Collier house,
staring into the silent field between them. He began to make his
way through the waving wheat grass, as it swayed in the warm breeze
that would soon bring summer.

* * * * *

Coralie sat very still, looking up at
the night sky, hugging her knees for comfort. From this place, up
on her rooftop, it seemed she could see every twinkling star. She
felt small.

The moon shone bright overhead. Bright
enough to illuminate almost every waving strand of wheat grass that
resided in the field beside her house.

Thoughts raced through her mind. Her
thoughts were scrolling so fast, it made her head hurt. She didn't
want to think anymore, but she couldn't stop the thoughts that
trailed through her mind. Her thoughts continued at a pace all
their own.

“Hey, I thought I might find you out
here...”Court said, easing himself out of Coralie's bedroom window
and onto the rooftop.

“Just taking a minute to process
things, you know...”

“Yeah,” Court said, taking a seat
beside her, “I understand, it's a lot to take in.”

“To say the least,” Coralie paused to
take a moment to breathe. “Court -” she started, then pausing
again, only to continue with her next words of declaration. “I've
always known...”

“Always known what?”

“You know, that I am different ...
I've always felt incomplete. Like something was missing. All of
this time was missed.”

With empathy underlying in words,
Court said, “It's okay, you know –”

“What?”

“To be angry...”

“The truth is, I probably should be
angrier with my parents than I am. They knew all along and they've
kept this from me. It's kind of hard to swallow. Something like
that - your own parents betraying you...” Coralie said, her words
filled with hurt.

“Yeah, I blamed them at first, too,
but then -”

Coralie's eyes widened in shock. “You
knew? And you didn't say anything? You didn't tell me? How could
you not tell me?”

“I told you the other night that I
would not rest until I found out exactly what was going on. I had
to get to the bottom of it all.”

“But you knew
me
, you knew who
I was … you knew all along.”

“Yes, I knew. I know who you are, who
you really are, Cor,” Court turned to face her with intense eyes.
“But you have to understand that I am already a part of this life.
I know things, yes, but I have Elders to listen to. Individuals who
are much higher in rank than myself.”

Coralie commented snidely. “Let me
guess, my father?”

“And mine, as well as some others...”
Court said, with confirmation.

Coralie shook her head in
understanding.

“But I promise Cor, I didn't know what
they were doing to you until they found us at the lake. That's when
I saw it for myself.”

“Wait – what?”

“I confronted them, your parents,
about the use of their so-called
methods
of keeping this
life from you.”

“Yeah, and how did that go?” Coralie
asked sarcastically.

“Well, with your Dad, not so good …
and with mine, much worse. When my Dad got word of my confrontation
with your father ... he was very displeased, to say the least.”
Courtland paused, for only a moment. “But I couldn't just stand by
and watch them take away …
you
. I couldn’t bear to watch
them erase who you are. Life is supposed to be based on
experiences, and you had absolutely none to remember. I could see
how bad it was hurting you, not knowing. I couldn't stand
it.”

“Do you know how? I mean, what it was
exactly that kept my memories from rising to the
surface?”

“I don’t know much, just the
basics.”

“Well, it’s still more than I
know.”

“True. I know that it's been going on
for a long while. Since you were around the age of three, I
think.”

“Three???”

He nodded 'yes', and then said, “After
expressing much concern, though they disagreed with your parents,
some of the Elders got together and pointed them in the direction
of Madame Marisse.”

“Madame Marisse?”

“Yeah -”

“
Who’s that?”

“Ever heard of Beings?”

“Like what sort of Beings?”

“Witches, warlocks … Ever heard of the
practicing of Magic?” Court asked.

Coralie's eyes widened.

“I'll take that as a
yes
.
Madame Marisse told your parents that it would only be temporary.
That it would not work forever. Your bloodline, your heritage,
would one day begin to overcome the Magic. You would one day be too
strong. The potion Madame Marisse gave your parents was supposed to
wipe your memory clean when you were exposed to the
life
...”

“Supposed to?”

“Well, it worked, for a while, without
a hitch. But your parents, being the overprotective jewels that
they are, began to give you the potion on a regular basis – when
you were exposed to the 'Warrior life' and when they had but a mere
suspicion that you had been.”

“So, that’s why I can remember certain
things, but not others.”

“After a while, recollection of all
sorts began to seep through the potion's potency...”

“So, if Madame Marisse had been wrong,
and say, that the potion was still working like it was intended, my
parents would have continued this charade, continued to live this
lie right in front of me?”

“No. I admit it, I was angry when I
first found out what they had been doing to you. I wanted to run to
you. I wanted to tell you, but I decided to confront your father
first. He told me of their plans to tell you, plans that were
already in place, long before I confronted him.”

“Only because their
methods
were not working anymore.”

“Maybe so. Maybe not.”

“Who's side are you on?”

“Cor, yours, of course ... I'm always
on your side, but I've known your father for a very long
time...”

“Hello, I'm his daughter. I’ve known
him my entire life.”

“I mean, in this life ... I know your
father for who he is. Not as Coralie Collier's father. Not as Mrs.
Collier's husband. And not as Professor Collier from the
University's Biology and Genealogy Departments. I know him as a
fellow Warrior. Let me say, no one questioned
him
and his
methods
of choice more than I, but I began to see his
reasoning.”

“And what was that,
exactly?”

“Your protection.” Court paused to
ensure his sincerity. “Once he suspected that someone may be after
you, things were different. He wanted to tell you, he just didn't
know how.”

“And you truly believe
that?”

“Yes, I do...”

“I don't know.”

“About what?”

“I just don't know what I'm in for,
you know. I feel like I have waited all of my life for this moment,
for this chance … and now, I don't have the fondest idea of what to
do with it.”

“Sure, you do.”

“No, really, I don't know anything
about being a Warrior, let alone a Great Warrior...”

“You don't have to know
everything
just yet. The fundamentals are in your blood.
Some things will come so natural. You are a Natural-born Heroine.
There are plenty of things that will come to you as second nature,
and the finer details will come later.”

After a few silent moments ticked by,
Coralie asked quietly, “Court, when did you know? About being a
Warrior, I mean?”

“Like you, I had always had this
feeling that my family was different.”

“So, what? Did you walk up to your
parents one day and start the conversation with –
Hey Mom, Dad,
feeling a little strange today ... anything you wanna tell
me?
”“ Coralie said, with sarcastic, lighthearted
tone.

“Not exactly, but close...”

“Sorry...”

“Don't be,” Court said, easing
Coralie's feelings of remorse. “Look, I've been an active part of
the Warrior life since I was five...”

“Five???”

“Yes, I'm somewhat of an
overachiever,” Court said, playfully. “I have had the opportunity
to travel with my parents to grasp a better understanding of this
life, and I had begun my training at a very early age.”

“And ???” Coralie asked, anticipating
answers.

With reassurance, Court continued,
“And ... I'm still learning...”

“So, there's still time for me,
eh?”

“Of course, there is. Look, this is
just a new chapter in your life, and if you want, I'll help
you.”

“You'll help me?”

“Yeah, I mean, I can help you with
your transitioning and training, anything you need.”

Coralie gave him a look of gratitude
for his offer and his understanding. Then she took a deep breath.
“I just wish they would have told me sooner, you know. I mean, I
get it ... they were trying to protect me. But why try to protect
me from something that is a part of me? Why protect me from who I
am?”

“Look, Cor … We all make mistakes and
we have to live with them, but shouldn't we be able to take these
mistakes as learning experiences as well. I mean, that's what
mistakes are, after all … aren’t they? Aren’t they are just
opportunities to grow as a person?”

“When did you become such a wise
creature, Courtland Cumberlin?” Coralie teased.

“Been working on it for a while ...
pretty good, huh?” Court teased back, causing Coralie to smirk.
“Now that's what I like to see...” Court said, pausing for a moment
to caress the side of her uplifted cheek bone. “Listen, I've got to
go. I need to check in with my Dad. I'm sure that I'm due for a
run
of some sort.”

Coralie started to ask, but without a
word leaving her mouth, Court said, “I'll explain later. You've got
enough to process tonight.” He leaned over and kissed Coralie's
forehead. He then rose to his feet, and walked over to the edge of
the Collier's three story roofline. He turned to her, reminding
her, “I'm serious, about the training ... I'll help you. You have
absolutely nothing to worry about, okay?”

“Thanks, Court.”

“My pleasure, my love ... I’ll see you
tomorrow.” And with those words, Court jumped off of the rooftop
and ran off into the night.

Coralie smiled. Such mixed feelings
and emotions ran through her. Trying to process so much was tiring,
yet she knew there was no way that she would be able to sleep. Not
tonight.

She needed to clear her mind. She
needed to think. The thought crossed her mind to run off to her
thinking place.
But she had tried that once
already.

Then another thought waved through her
mind like the blond, waving wheat grass that harbored in the
neighboring field.

M
aybe a quick run. Not too
far. Just for a while.

Her actions were as fast as the
thoughts themselves. She felt nothing but air beneath her, as she
leapt off of the three story roof. Nothing, that is, until her feet
landed gently onto the ground below.

She paused for a moment to allow a
smile to creep onto her face.

Accepting this life may
not be so hard, after all.

* * * * *

Knock. Knock.

“What are you doing here?” Cal asked
as he opened the door.

“I have to talk to you ... It's
important!”

“You could have called.”

“But I was already
here...”

The last word of that sentence sent a
chill across Cal's body. He stepped outside, closing the door
behind him. “Here?”

“Yes, Sir,” Alexander
answered.

“And why were you
here
?”

“Whoever it was, I tracked him
here
.”

“Do you know who
he
was or what
information he was after?”

“No, Sir. I don't know who he was or
why he was here.”

“Did you handle it?” Cal asked
sternly.

“Well, sort of...”

“What do you mean,
sort of
?”
Cal asked, aggravated at this expression.

“Well, Sir, he, umm ... he got
away.”

“Got away!” Cal repeated in
fury.