Authors: Jessa Hawke
“Let go of me! You do not understand what you are doing!” The woman said.
They could hear heavy footsteps of about five to seven men approaching. “Security is coming; we have to get her out of here right now.” Caleb exclaimed.
“Where to?” Anton asked.
“Through the back door and into the alley. Then we can meet up with Hailey at my place.” Caleb suggested.
Anton nodded as they hurriedly tied the hands of the keeper behind her back and shoved her along with them out of the hospital.
Meanwhile, Hailey was feeling so nauseous that while being there in the hospital, she finally decided to go to the emergency room.
While the nurses checked her vital statistics, she heard her phone buzz.
“Anton!” Hailey answered him with a sigh of relief.
“Hailey? Are you okay? Is everything fine? Where are you?” Anton responded in such a frantic and helpless voice. Hailey blushed at how concerned and thoughtful Anton was.
“I am all right. I decided to have myself checked up. It seems that all this excitement is getting to me.” Hailey replied. “I will be out in a few minutes. Did you catch her?”
“We did. And boy, does she have a lot to say.” Anton replied as they bid farewell. Anton became wearier of the events that were happening.
“So odd.” He told himself.
*****
They finally met up at Caleb’s uptown home.
“You all right Hails?” Caleb asked as she made her way into the living room where the young red headed woman was tied down to a lazy boy.
“Hailey?” The woman said, but her voice was different. It was now a familiar voice.
“Nana Rosa?” Hailey said as her eyes instantly welled up in tears.
“It’s me.” The redhead replied.
“No Hailey. Do not listen to her; it’s just your keeper. She was never your Nana.” Anton replied.
“She was never Jane or Nancy or Ms. Copperfield or Pilar, she was just your keeper.” Caleb finished Anton’s sentenced.
All of a sudden the woman’s voice changed into one that was unfamiliar.
“No more tricks.” She said. “Hailey. I cared for you.”
“I know.” Hailey surprised the two boys.
“Hails.” Caleb protested.
“No Caleb, I know she cared. She could have taken any form, something or someone who is just around but not really someone who cared and loved me, but she did.” Hailey said.
“What is your real name?” Hailey asked as the two boy looked on.
“River.” She said. “They call me River.” She continued with her tone kinder and more sincere.
“River. I need your help.” Hailey began as she knelt before the woman and laid her hands on her lap. Their eyes were at the same level, as she began to beg for the keeper’s help.
“I need you to help me. I need you to tell me what I am.” Hailey finished.
“I… I… It is not my place to do that.” River said.
“Please.” Hailey begged some more.
River’s eyes were stone cold, but the hazel that bounced in her iris betrayed her. Hailey could see her soul and how beautiful it was.
“Let me tell you a story.” River said as the two boys sat across the room listening to her.
You were just a baby when your parents found out that you were a pure one. They were scared and frantic because you were their only child. And out of all the newborns that season, you were chosen.
Pure ones come in different shapes, Sizes and races. There are werewolves like those two who become pure, but they usually are weaker and more vulnerable, usually an omega, and there are even pure humans, fairies, dwarves and other supernaturals. The pure ones are chosen once or twice and sometimes thrice in a century and they are chosen from those born as the harvest moon illuminates the sky.
“Their special powers come from the moon, it’s like they stole them when they are born, and that’s why they are sacrificed to the moon to return the powers. The moon rewards those who do that. Usually, the wolves are keen on doing such sacrifices, with them being hungry for power and all, but I guess you already knew that, huh?
“Anyway, you were chosen, and your parents did not want you to be sacrificed. But the druids came and took you away. Your parents love you so much that they rallied every single one of your kind to fight them. But they lost and they all died.
“You see, the druids are the servants of the moon. They’re tasked to keep you safe until your powers manifest and you are ready to be sacrificed. It didn’t matter who sacrificed you. All the druids needed to make sure of was that you didn’t die before you were ripe.
“But the wolves and other supernaturals heard of the battle, and so they put two and two together and knew that a new pure sacrifice had been chosen and they were now in the hands of the druids.
“Fearing that these supernaturals would kill you accidentally from fighting over you, they sent you here to the United States so that you could start anew. They summoned me, your keeper to watch over you. And so I did. But the truth is Hailey, you are already ripe, your powers have already manifested.”
“What am I?” Hailey asked trying to fight back the tears.
“You are a special kind of supernatural, one that is so rare around this part of the world. You are a kitsune.”
“A what?” Caleb reacted.
“A kitsune. A were-fox.” Anton explained. “Now I understand all the weird things that have been happening. The storm that followed us when we went to your home town, the power fluctuations, and the fact that the lights came on when we were doing the rituals even when the generator had not even been turned on just yet. I finally get it now. You are a kitsune. I should have seen it from the signs.”
All of a sudden the River stood up as she revealed she really was not tied down or anything. But Hailey was not afraid. She knew she was her friend.
“I am not afraid of you.” Hailey said as she rose to meet river eye to eye.
“You should be.” River replied as the two boys rushed to come in between the two.
“No. You loved me. You still do.” Hailey said.
“I don’t really know that for sure.” River replied. A red cloud engulfed her entire body as she disappeared into the mist.
“River!” Hailey gasped, but her call was too late, all too late. At the very least, Hailey thought, they finally found out what she really was and so, how to solve the problem that they had before them.
“Okay.” Caleb said in a dazed manner.
“I thought she would have been more cooperative.” Anton said.
“She did stay even thought she could have just disappeared at any time at her own will.” Caleb answered.
Hailey sat on the couch and let out a deep sigh that seemed like it was one of relief and exasperation at the same time.
As they tried to collect their thoughts, a loud explosion from outside made them jump up from their seats.
“Hailey!” Caleb yelled as Anton went to her and covered her almost mechanically.
“The door!” Anton pointed out as someone was obviously trying to bust it open.
“Who is that?” Caleb yelled out.
But all that answered was a piercing howl.
“I am Caleb of the Storms; I demand that you respect my territory!” Caleb screamed and suddenly the scratching and banging on the door stopped.
“That only means one thing. They were wolves.” Anton said.
“Exactly, and we all know what that ultimately means.” Caleb and Anton looked at each other.
“Why? What’s happening?” Hailey asked so confused and frightened.
“Wolves tried to break into this home without knowing this is wolf territory.” Anton explained.
“That means that their new knowledge that this is my territory, that’s something that they will only respect for twenty-four hours. After that, they have the right to dominate my territory and also everything in it.” Caleb said.
“At least you guys are polite.” Hailey tried to joke. “Why are they here?”
“If they came here not knowing this was my home, then for sure, this is not about me.” Caleb said.
Hailey’s face turned absolutely pale. “They’re here for me.”
*****
The threesome managed to get of the building and into an armed van Anton had commanded to arrive there and pick them up.
“I am required to face them.” Caleb explained. “If not, I would be conceding what is mine and according to your mist, which seems to have faded almost completely, you are one of those things that are mine.”
“Exactly.” Anton said. “But since a formal challenge has been made, whichever family that was has to wait for the expiration of the twenty-four hours.”
The van drove past the wolves that lurked and waited, watching from the corners and the curb. Anton knew who they were.
“I knew it.” Anton declared. “We are in for a huge fight.”
“Why? Who are they Anton?” Hailey asked. Anton tried to avert her gaze and settled resting his eyes on Caleb’s who simply closed them in despair.
“The Khiones.” Caleb said almost in an inquisitive manner.
“Definitely them.” Anton said.
The van entered a high rise building as a dozen men in suits filed to cover them as they made their way through the halls, a few elevators and a few secret vaults.
“This is it - our library.” Anton explained as he finally opened a large oak wood door into a room with what seemed to Caleb and Hailey to be a million books on rows and rows of shelves.
“Alyssa?” Anton called for a girl.
“Yes Anton.” An elderly but beautiful woman came around one of the book shelves.
“Guys, meet my mother Alyssa.” Anton explained as he went to her and gave her a warm embrace.
“This must be the beautiful Hailey I have been hearing about.” Alyssa said.
“I am so sorry for causing you so many commotions.” Hailey said apologetically.
“Do not fret my dear. I know what has been going on. I too am your ally.” Alyssa said. “Storm?”
“Yes ma’am.” Caleb answered.
“You are most welcome here, do you understand? Most welcome.” Alyssa said with that touch of sincerity only a knowing mother could have.
“Did you find it?” Anton asked as they made their way to a huge desk just piled with old but not at all dusty books.
“Yes dear, but…” Alyssa was a bit hesitant to answer. “There is a tiny problem.”
“What is it?” Caleb spoke up.
“Here, read this.” Alyssa said.
“What does it say?” Hailey asked.
“It doesn’t say anything dear.” Alyssa answered the poor confused girl.
“What?” Anton asked as he took the book himself.
“The pages are blank. Caleb, here take a look.” Anton said.
“Blank?” Caleb said. “Oh no. They are blank. No cloak or mist. I can’t see anything.”
“Are you sure this is the book?” Anton asked.
“Yes my dear son. It is the one and only Bestiary.” Alyssa said. “And apparently, the chapter on Kitsunes is blank.”
“River did say we were pretty rare.” Hailey said.
“No, there has got to be another book?” Caleb asked.
“There is not.” Anton explained. “This is the most complete bestiary of any supernatural family.”
“If it is not in here, it is nowhere.” Alyssa added to what his son had said.
“Hails, don’t worry. If need be, we will fight every single wolf who would even think of taking you away from us.” Caleb said as he tried to comfort Hailey.
“We will fight. We will protect you.” Anton said.
“You have the Storm and Dominguez clans to protect you my dear. I’m thinking that’s going to be enough to protect you.” Alyssa assured her even more.
They decide to retire and just try to collect their strength because only twenty three hours from then, they would have to battle it out with the ruthlessness of the Khiones. But before they did, Alyssa took Hailey aside for just a while. Hailey was still crying – actually, she was bawling her eyes out, but something Alyssa said made her calm down.