Finding Emma

Prologue

Run! Run! Was all her mind could tell her.

Don’t look back, don’t stop. Just RUN!

She was moving, and she was crying—how was she crying? She was taught not to feel. Who was she? Why had this happened to her? Why was the pain in her chest so unbearable? She kept moving. He was gone. Had it really happen that quickly? She stared at herself, torn, broken, lost--but how? She didn’t want to be this monster, she just wanted to let herself love. She wanted to be different.

She was failing.

She ran, beyond the shadow of a doubt, she knew she would never turn back. They killed him; it killed him; she tried to stop it. She’d begged him to run. That didn’t stop them; didn’t stop it: Didn’t stop her.

SHE killed him.

1

Regret

            Emma couldn’t understand what she was feeling; why was she crying? She felt what she thought were tears, and she was confused. She couldn’t help but WANT to cry. She thought it would make sense, but yet it made no sense at all. Aren’t you supposed to cry when someone you want to love dies. When YOU kill them? It was an accident. It was a mistake. They were forcing her to be this person. They wanted her to be powerful, to be manipulative and unable to feel. They wanted her to be a killer.

She replayed the scene in her head. She was standing opposite of him, her “friends” on both sides of her. They were outside and the sun had vanished for the night. It was clear outside, but it was cold. She was wrong to bring her friends with her, and she knew it the second he showed up. How did she end up with THESE people as friends?

Jess looked at her, “I love you, Emma,” he said in an undeniably serious tone.

The girl closest to Emma was Marie. She was tall and ravishingly beautiful. Her hair was long and curly; auburn in color, and fell, delicately, to the middle of her back. Her eyes, man did they have a power behind them. She demanded respect, and you could see from the moment you met her. You did NOT want to be on her bad side.

Marie stood there, never taking her hand off Emma’s shoulder, always watching her move. She whispered to herself, in a low, almost inaudible voice, eyes constantly on Jess, though her focus seemed to be on Emma.

“You don’t love me, Jess, you don’t know me. I don’t want you here.” She heard the words repeat in her mind and she cringed.

“You are my only reason for being here.” He smiled. “I would have left a long time ago, if it wasn’t for you. You know that I love you, and I know that you love me too.”

“Jess, I am incapable of that. I DON’T love you. I don’t love anyone. I want you gone.”

“I am not leaving.” Jess half smiled, trying to keep the conversation light. “I would die without you in my life. You have loved before, Emma, and you will be able to again. I just found you; I am not going to lose you again.”

Emma came to a sudden stop in her running and doubled over. She saw the look in his eyes when he reached for her; longing, begging, loving. She gripped her chest, her heart racing as she vividly saw his emotion flush out of him.

“I DON’T LOVE YOU. I LEFT TO GET AWAY FROM YOU. I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN.” She screamed at him, while the pain in her chest confused her. She wasn’t supposed to feel. She wanted to swallow her words as they were falling out, she wanted to take them back and run into his arms—the way that she used to—but she couldn’t control herself, her words, her actions.

Jess fell to the floor, torn, broken, shattered, lifelessly he laid there. “This will be the death of me, you are killing me. You know I need you, just as you need me.”

Emma closed her eyes and felt her whole body shake. The next minute she was lunging toward Jess, like she had no control over her actions. What was she doing? Why couldn’t she control herself?

His face was horrified as if he saw her change from the inside out. She had not changed physically but as Jess looked at her, still seeing her shape and hearing her voice, the anger in her eyes burned him. He looked at her as if for the first time she was becoming unrecognizable. Her face was different. Her strength was deep, and her intent was to kill.  He stepped back in anguish, as if he realized she was no longer Emma, his Emma. Seemingly swallowed by Marie who was whispering faster, as her grip on Emma’s shoulder intensified, while her friends, slowly beginning to whisper too, closed in on the scene.

Emma felt the pain pierce her heart when she saw the image of Jess falling to the ground. He laid there, lifeless, sadness the only expression left on his face.

She went numb, looked back at her friends, and began to run…

How They Met

            It all started just a few months before this horrific night. I was sitting in my living room, waiting for my parents to arrive home, though I was not much looking forward to it. The house was huge and silent without them there. They were fighting before they left to the party. They were always going on about something, but at the end of the day, they were ridiculously in love. This time, Kate, my mom, was angry about the ridiculous items my dad, John, kept buying.  

I didn’t understand why he was buying so many things, and all of them were for me. It was as if he thought I NEEDED them for something. I didn’t really understand anything my dad did half the time, anyway, so I didn’t give it too much thought until that night. Before he left he gave me a passport, and told me not to ask any questions. I got a little worried, but then told myself it was probably just for a trip after my graduation.

“You will understand when it is the right time.” I heard his words repeat in my mind, and I pondered where I would be going.

It was getting late, and there wasn’t much exciting on the TV. I looked at the time, on the unnecessarily large grandfather clock we had at the back of the room, and I decided I should give my parents a call. Just as I reached the phone, I heard sirens in the distance. I didn’t know why, but it sent a chill down my spine.

I ran outside to see what all the commotion was, and my eyes went completely tunnel vision. I saw the flames from where I stood, even though they seemed miles away. How did I not hear the crash? Was I really that engrossed in what I wasn’t even in the mood to watch on TV? There were two cars, one in flames, and the other demolished beyond recognition. I knew right away that the Mercedes was that of my fathers. It was engulfed in flames.

I ran, as fast as I could to the scene of the accident, although the knot in my stomach already told me the outcome.

No survivors.

My life fell to the very pits of hell. I had no desire to breathe, to live, I had nothing. I couldn’t handle the pain I was feeling in my chest. I couldn’t think. I kept running, I didn’t want anyone to see me.

My mom.

My dad.

They were all that I had. I needed to be with them. I fell to the ground, about a mile away from the accident. I wept, uncontrollably, and without abandon. I couldn’t hold it in. I lay there, in the fetal position, and I wept. I knew I couldn’t live without them in my life. As much as they nagged me, I needed them. They were my strength. I had to end it. I couldn’t pull myself through this. I had NO ONE else.

I pushed myself to my feet, and I felt the strength of my legs begin to buckle beneath me. I was weak, but I forced myself though it. It would all be over soon, I reminded myself, everything would be okay soon. I would be with them again. They were all that I had. I walked, shakily to the nearest highway. I would just step out into the road. No one would see it coming. It was dark out. It would be quick.

As I was standing on the side of the road I noticed someone looking at me.  What was he doing? Who was he? Why was he out here this late at night? He eyes caught my attention, and I couldn’t pull myself to look away from his gaze.

Don’t do it.

I heard the words in my head, but I knew that they weren’t my own. I didn’t understand. I was going to do it. I had to end this emptiness I felt down to the very depth of my being: Down to my soul.

It was meant to happen this way. Trust me. Don’t do it. You don’t understand.

            I watched the cars pass, feeling the force of the wind push me backwards as they sped by. I was just a step away, but I could see him, and he was looking at me with sadness in his eyes. Why was he here? It was just after one AM now, but the traffic seemed uncommonly busy. Cars were racing, my heart was pounding, aching, and his eyes, they were burning through me.

Just let me talk to you. Give me five minutes of your time. Everything is going to be okay.

The voice kept pushing me to take another step back, but I wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t listen. I needed this to be over. I could feel the blood racing in my heart. I felt it pulsating though my ears, my head was pounding. I couldn’t handle this. I took another step forward. I was going to end everything tonight. Right now.

I braced myself, but I didn’t care. I needed it to be over.

They aren’t dead!

I looked at him, startled, but I was already looking at the car racing towards me. It was too late, I was gone; I had no time to react to his words. The terror and pain that it brought to my chest was something I could not handle. I didn’t understand. They aren’t dead? I saw them. I saw the car. How could I have recognized them? They were burned beyond recognition. But I knew the license plate. I knew our car. It WAS them.

All of this ran through my head in the split second it took for me to realize I was already going to die. My life was ending. I closed my eyes as I felt the impact. But it came from the wrong direction. The car was too the front of me. A truck—lifted by the looks of it. The head lights had been burning through my eyes. The impact hit me from the side.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground on the side of the road. The guy was holding onto me. He was over me, as if in a protective stance. I didn’t understand. How had he reached me before the truck? There was no way that would have been possible. I looked up at him, my eyes full of questions, full of fear, and full of pain. I didn’t understand.

“Are you okay?” I heard his strange, but somehow soothing voice say.

“What’s happening? How did you get to me? How were you talking to me so clearly before? I didn’t even see your lips moving. How did you know about my parents?”  I stammered out everything I was thinking.

“Everything is going to be okay. I’ll explain. Your parents are okay, right now, but they are in danger. You have everything you need at your house, but we need to get back there right now. I’ll explain, I promise.”

“Who are you?” I asked him, now feeling a little bit fearful.

“My name is Jess. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Emma.”

I looked at him, with so many questions in my eyes, but I couldn’t get passed the beauty of his face, and the love—and sadness—in his eyes.

We raced back to my house, he clutched my hand. There was warmth about him, a kindness, and yet I could still feel the sadness he carried. We got back to my house and he ran through the door. He seemed to know what he was here for. He grabbed the keys to the new car that dad had recently bought me, and then we went straight up to my room.

“How do you know that is my room? Who are you? I need some answers.” I said to him, in a slightly harsh but more confused tone.

“I promise I’ll explain.” He reiterated to me as he started pacing across my room in a somewhat peculiar manner.

“One, Two, Three, two steps to the right…this one! Here help me lift this floor board!” He said to me, with a sense of urgency in his voice.

I was dumbfounded, but at this point I didn’t really care what was happening. I was hurting, broken, and at a loss for words. Who was he?

We lifted the floor board, and he reached inside. He came out with an envelope. He pulled out a note from my dad.

I’m so sorry I had to do that to you, Emma. If there was another way to do it, I would have, but I need you to trust me on this one. Trust me, and trust Jess. He is a good…man, and he will help you get to us. Stay safe, and listen to what he tells you. Be open-minded. Everything will make sense to you in time, I promise you that. We are okay, your mom and I. I love you, and I’ll see you soon.—Dad

He pulled two other papers out of the envelope. Airplane tickets to England. My head was spinning, but all I could focus on was the fact that my parents were alive.

My mind flashed back to the passport dad had given me that morning. This was supposed to happen? I let the thoughts flow through my head. I always knew that we were well-off, but what was going on? Was my dad involved in some sort of mafia? Why were we on the run? I felt as if my head was going to explode.

“We have to hurry. Pack something light. We can get what we need when we are there. My resources and connections are nearly limitless. Our flight leaves in an hour. He kept going through things in my house and grabbing random articles, most meant nothing to me. He grabbed my family picture that my dad had us take earlier last week. I wondered why, but I was sure that asking right now would be utterly pointless.

I took a step back and looked at him, as I was trying to take in all the events of the evening. Everything that had transpired in the last two hours took me from being one of the most normal people in the world, to having a life I didn’t understand and didn’t want to be a part of anymore. My whole world had been turned upside-down.

As I sat there, I finally took a good look at Jess. He seemed taller than most, but perhaps that was due to his perfect posture. He was quite handsome, and he looked strong; unbreakably strong. I took a deep breath, and I sighed. “I’m ready whenever you are,” I told him in a mellow tone.

He looked up at me, and flashed me a tender, understanding smile. “Okay I’ll pull the car out of the garage. Everything will be okay.”

We drove in silence to the airport. It had seemed the traffic slowed down over the last hour. The roads were empty. The sky was clear and the moon was brightly shining above us. Had it not been for all the events of before, this would be a beautiful night to me, but I couldn’t shake the image of my “parents” burning inside our car. I quivered in my seat as I tried to shake the image from my memory.

The plane ride

            We reached the airport and raced through the various terminals. I couldn’t help but take notice of all the people: Some arriving, with their families eagerly waiting to greet them with open arms, while others were departing with tearful goodbyes. I couldn’t help but wonder if any of them were in the same situation we were in, if any of them were as confused as I was, or had a night closing resembling the one I had been having. I doubted it.

My body was aching from the impact of Jess diving into me and, inevitably, changing the course of my life, and my mind was exhausted. I didn’t want to think anymore, I just wanted to wake up, safely in my bed, and realize that this was all a dream. The problem was that, it wasn’t a dream, and I wasn’t going to wake up in my bed, or even my house for that matter. I wondered if I ever would again.

We boarded the plane, and took our seats. At least we had some privacy, since my dad bought us first class tickets. I looked over at Jess, and couldn’t help but admire his strong build and soft facial features. “So, please, explain to me what is going on. I don’t think I can take much more without understanding.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I’ll explain, but I need you to listen. I wish all of this could have gone so much smoother.”

It’s okay, as long as I get some answers now,” I said in a reassuring tone.

“Well, it all started many, many years ago. We live in a much…bigger…world than some people like to believe. I am not your typical man, just as you and your parents are not typical. We come from a race of people that we like to call Demigods. We descend from a long line of others just like us. We each have special gifts, talents that humans do not.  There is good in the world, and there is evil. Just as we are good, there has to exist a counterpart. There has to be a reason for us existing, rather than just to have certain abilities.  There is a reason for our existence and abilities, a purpose for which we must use them.”

“The reason for this happening tonight is because we need your powers to develop. Normally it is okay to wait for them to develop on their own, but there is a battle in the works, and we need all the strength we can get. The only way to trigger the right chemical reaction in the body to ‘jump start,’ if you will, our abilities is to send the body into a kind of shock. Send the emotions wild. We need to make the person go through something traumatic. For you, it was simple, because you are so close to your parents.”

“What did you say I am?” I stammered out, completely confused.

“A Demigod. Just hear me out. Everything is going to be clear.” He smiled, not seeming to enjoy the interruption.

“Okay, okay. Sorry. Please continue.”

I first met your father many years ago, when I was what would appear to you as about six years of age. Age is different for us, as we grow to appear the age that we are meant to. Once we reach that age in appearance, we stop growing, physically, but continue to gain knowledge and to grow in our skills. You heard me out on the road, and I wasn’t talking, correct?”

“Yes.” I smiled.

“One of my two talents is that I can communicate through people’s minds. I can reach you without talking to you. I can’t read your thoughts, but after many years of using my gifts, I have become quick at reading people’s eyes, you in particular—because one of your gifts is all about emotions. I have known you since just after you were born, but I have not been around you, at least not in the sense of being a part of your life. I watched out for you, and I made sure you were safe. The reason your dad and your mom didn’t tell you any of this is because of my parents.”

I suddenly saw the sadness back in his eyes.

“My parents were the ones in the other car. They died tonight, but I know that it had to happen that way. They betrayed our people, and they chose to let their love and their goodness die. Our sole purpose in this world is to keep people safe. We have an entire race of people, and we try to live our lives just the same as everyone else. We only gather together, like we are, when there is just reason, and a threat to our people.”

“A threat?” I asked with a quiver in my voice.

He looked back at me and placed his hand on my hand in a gesture of comforting. “Just as there is good in the world, through us, there is an evil in the world as well; a darker magic, or power, if you will. My parents, just like me, had abilities of the mind. They turned to the evil ones, and their first task was to kill your parents. I knew what they were planning, and it was difficult for me to not interfere. But everyone has the free will to choose, and it was not my place to interfere once they had chosen. We knew, however, that once it happen, you would notice. My mother, she could read minds, and my father could communicate to whomever he choses in the same way that I can. When they saw you running down the street, we knew they were going to get into your head. We needed them to completely believe that your parents had died, and the only way to do that was through making YOU believe that they had. So before they passed on, they would only tell their leader that their job had been a success. So we let it happen, in order to help you develop your powers, and to grant us some time.”

“Why are my parents so important?” I sighed with a slight sense of relief.

“Your parents come from a long line of Demigods. They are full blood descendants of the “royalty” of our people, if you will.   They have powers, that some of us dream we could have. Your father, he is a man of the earth, and can manipulate the natural materials of the world: Dirt, wind, etc. Your mom, in the same way, is a woman of the sea, or of water. She can control it, and move it in any way that she chooses. “

“No wonder we always had such a nice garden outside our house.” I said with a slight giggle.

He smiled at me and continued. “Their abilities are strong, and they pose a threat to the evil ones. There is a war raging, and they wanted your parents to be out of the picture. They felt that, if they eliminated our two strongest fighters, they would have a chance of winning.”

“Interesting. What happened with your parents? Why did they turn?” I was trying to read his eyes, but he seemed so focused now.

“The evil ones, they call themselves the Contagium, which is the Latin word for “to infect,” have a way of manipulating the mind. They have to have physical contact with you in order to make you turn to their side, at least for some time.  My parents felt that they were not using their powers to the best of their ability and the Contagium took advantage of that. They came to my parents and told them that they would have greater power if they asked them for their help. Slowly, day by day, they wore my parents down. Inch by inch they got closer until my parents were willing to shake their hands in agreement and through that they took control of my parent’s minds and hearts, giving them the images and incentive that they needed. My parents saw themselves with so much power, and so much control; too much to resist, and turned to their side. They let go of their love completely and they never looked back.”

I couldn’t help but feel terrible for him. He lost his parents less than 4 hours ago, and here he was, trying to be strong and understanding, not allowing himself to mourn the loss of his beloved mom and dad.

“I’m so sorry,” was all I could get myself to say.

“It wasn’t your fault, dear one, I am just glad you are safe.” He smiled at me.

I knew by his voice that he was being sincere in that, and for some reason I was glad that I was here with him. I didn’t want to look away from his eyes. He seemed so kind, so warm; I was drawn to him for reason I had yet to understand.

I sighed and looking out the window. I was never the biggest fan of plane rides, but the comfort of his hand in mine was making everything seem easier. The skies were clear, and the flight didn’t seem to be taking that long. I looked over to the people sitting closest to us and wondered if they were listening in on our conversation. They probably thought we were crazy and living in some world we had conjured up in our own minds. A fantasy world, like a lot of kids did at some point in their lives. Somehow I wish that could have been true, but I was still overwhelmed by the comfort I felt with him there.

My mind would have kept trailing off and wondering about how I was feeling, but it was interrupted by the captain over the intercom. “This is your captain speaking, we will be arriving at our destination in about ten minutes, everyone please fasten your seatbelts, and thank you for flying united.” I laughed to myself thinking about how often he had to say that. I always wanted to leave the country, but I didn’t think it would be under these circumstances. Whatever works, I suppose.

We arrived at the airport, with an uncommonly smooth landing (at least something went smoothly today) and we waited for our instructions to get off the plane.

England

            We hurriedly got off the plane, trying not to look suspicious. We all know what happens if you look suspicious in an airport these days. Not that there wasn’t just reason for the over-zealous security, but we just didn’t have time to deal with questions. We raced through the different terminals in what would be considered a hurried power walk, with our small carry-on bags in our hands. I was hungry, but figured it could wait. The scene from this airport was much the same as the other. Tearful goodbyes, and joyful, excited welcomes; signs being held up for foreign exchange students, people walking around frustrated by delays—it really would have been interesting to watch everyone if I wasn’t under these circumstances.

We walked out to the street and I decided it would be best to try and flag down a taxi. Jess grabbed my hand again, and this time his warmth sent a pulse straight through my chest. He smiled at me as if he felt me gasp. “We don’t need a taxi” he said as he led me to an open area outside where there weren’t any people around.

“Something I forgot to mention to you on the plane is that we are all pretty fast. I figured you would have assumed that one due to me getting to you before the truck,” He said in a slightly excited tone.

I looked back at him not completely in understanding, “so what are you trying to say?”

He laughed, “We are going to run. Trust me it is a lot faster than a taxi. We will be there in no time.”

I laughed and looked at him bemused, “just because YOU are freakishly fast doesn’t mean that I am, my friend.”

He shot me a sheepishly childlike grin. “When are you going to learn to trust me? Just run with me, give it a try. Your legs won’t fail you.” He winked at me.

He took my hand and we started running. At first it was a slow jog, and then it picked up into a steady paced run, and the next thing I knew I felt like we were flying. I could hardly see my feet moving beneath me. I kept moving but I didn’t understand what was happening. I was laughing and smiling. I MUST be losing my mind, I thought to myself. Whatever was happening I was enjoying it. He was leading the way, still keeping my hand in his. I had no idea where we were going, but for some reason I wasn’t getting tired. I could keep running like this forever.

I looked at everything we were running past, realizing I wasn’t paying too much attention, and if I was going to be enjoying the new country, I may as well take in the scenery.

I was awe struck. It was so beautiful. The grass was green and the smell of it was so fresh. I could hear water running somewhere off in the distance. The mountains we were running towards were almost welcoming us off in the distance. They were tall and it looked like they still had snow sitting on the tops of them. They were gorgeous, like nothing I had seen before.  The trees were massive, and the leaves were green. Flowers were blossoming to the left of us, while the fields seemed to stretch on forever to the right. I wondered how far we had run.

We reached the mountains and he slowed our run a little bit. “We’re just about there” he smiled at me. I was beginning to love his smile.

We walked though an opening to the left of the mountain, a trail that seemed to have been walked on more recently for the first time in a while. It was hardly there, but the prints looked fresh. The sound of the water running was a bit stronger now, and I could feel mist against my face. Apparently we were near some sort of waterfall. We kept moving through the mountainside and through some trees. About twenty more paces forward and I saw the house—mansion rather—waiting out in front of us.

“THAT is where we are going?” I said in an astonished tone.

He chuckled and reached back for my hand, “just wait until you see the inside. Your parents used to live here, once upon a time, but now it is a place for gathering.”

We walked across the beautiful yard and I could smell the lilacs and roses from the huge overwhelmingly extravagant garden. The house looked like it must have been at least two-hundred thousand square feet, and the architecture of it was astonishing.

It had an old age Georgian style with a slightly gothic twist. There were five stone steps leading up to the wooden double doors. There was a row of five windows across the second story, and there were stone columns on either side of the steps holding up the canopy shaped structure. On top of the canopy, one on the left and one on the right side were lions. Gothic in appearance, but in a stance of protection, the mansion was constructed with solid red brick, and the windows were large and rounded. I stood there for a minute completely taken aback. I was at a loss for words trying to take in the image before me.

I knew my family was rich, but this was insane.

Jess laughed at the ridiculous look on my face and pulled me a little bit to keep me moving. “We have to actually make it in the house if you want to see your parents, he smiled, knowing that would put me back in focus.

“My parents!” I said loudly and excited, and without thinking I started racing towards the doors. I ran up the steps smoothing my hands across the pillars. When I reached the doors, I looked at them for a second, realizing how unbelievably tall they were. I reached for the handle and pulled them open. They made a slight creaking sound as I flung them wide, and they seemed lighter to me than they appeared.

“Mom! DAD!” I yelled, assuming I would need to if I wanted anyone to hear me in this house, even if they were just in the next room. Each room was like a house on its own.

I heard footsteps coming from some other room and I ran for them. I opened another set of double doors and I saw them coming down the stairs. The inside of the house was just as extravagant as the outside. There was no better decorated house in the world. It seemed that each room had a theme. The two that I had seen were both for different time eras. The first was decked out as if it was from the old English time frame, somewhere between the late seventeen hundreds and the early eighteen hundreds. While the room I was standing in now was more elegant, and reminded me of a more advanced, technology oriented family; Big televisions, computers, electronic equipment everywhere. I didn’t care. I was more focused on my mom and dad. I ran to meet them at the bottom of the stairs, and they met me with open arms.

“I’m so sorry, Emma;” Dad said to me while kissing my forehead and holding me and mom.   Mom caressed my back and ran her other hand through my hair. There were tears streaming down my face and I felt as if I wouldn’t be able to hold myself up I was so overwhelmed with the joy I felt in my heart. I was with my parents again. My life was complete. Everything was different, but it didn’t matter as long as I was with them. They made me whole.

It was in those moments that I noticed how truly beautiful my parents were. My dad was tall, with a darker complexion. His hair was a sandy brown, tight little wavy locks down to his ears. His eyes were deep brown, and full of love. He was fit and his muscles were chiseled, though he had long sleeves on, you could feel safe in his arms. My mom was just a beautiful, but very graceful looking. She was wearing a lovely summer’s day dress. Her skin was pale in complexion, and she, just like me, was just less than five foot five. We weren’t the tallest of people. She had serene blue eyes that could win over the heart of anyone. I just stood there admiring their beauty.

My dad smiled at me, tears in his eyes, “I love you, Emma, and I am so happy you are here and you are okay. We have a lot of work to do. We will have more time together later, but right now we need to gather with everyone else. You have a lot of people to meet and there are more people coming. Jess will show you to your room so you can get cleaned up and changed. There are clothes in the closet for you. Meet down in the gathering room in thirty minutes. I love you, hunny, I’m glad you’re here.”

Jess walked over to me and took my hand. I was getting all too used to that. He led me up the winding stair case that seemed as if it would never end. There were pictures along the stairway walls. It seemed like the family that used to live here—my family—had been here for generations. I was looking at all the pictures that seemed to be lined up from oldest to newest. The first picture was of a man that had the same facial features of my father, at least, that it what it would seem. The picture was a painting, since, as I would assume, they didn’t have cameras when this picture was done. The portraits continued on one after the other, until I reached the final one. There were probably about ten before I got to the picture of my father. He looked more serious than he normally does, but then again, they all looked serious in these pictures. He was handsome.

After we got up the stair case, I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful doors that led into each room. They had carvings in them; trees, leaves, and beautiful pictures. Some had great, fierce lions and leopards. There were tigers and hawks, bears and other animals that I would normally consider ferocious, but for some reason there was a kindness in the eyes on these carvings. I could almost imagine them jumping out of the doors and coming to life. Now THAT would have been amazing. It just looked as if they had a story to tell, and I was eager to listen.

We reach the furthest door on the right-hand side and we came to a stop. I looked at the door. On it was the engraving of a girl sitting on a swing that was hanging from the ropes tied to a tree. It was a huge tree and the girl looked as if she had been laughing. She was no older than three and she had her head slightly tilted to the side looking at the man behind her getting ready to give the swing a nice push. I couldn’t help but love this carving on the door. Jess looked at it and smiled in a way that made me feel like he was remember this exact moment. I looked at him, but then I let my eyes move upward to the beautifully and delicately scripted words above the door. “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death.” I read it, over and over. It was beautiful to me. I looked back at Jess and couldn’t help but see that he had a sense of wonder and peace in his eyes. He was definitely remembering something.

“This is the room,” he said looking at me kindly. “I’ll be in the next room on the left when you are ready to go down to gather just knock on my door and I’ll take you to the right room.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “I really don’t know what I would have done had you not been there. You saved my life, and I can never pay you back for that.”

“You are a part of my life now, and I know that may not make sense to you, but that is more than any other person could ever do for me,” He said to me in all seriousness.

For some reason I knew he wasn’t joking, and even though I had just met him, I felt so connected to him. I was completely comfortable and content in the knowledge that he meant that.

“Okay, I’ll be out in a few minutes. Thank you again, for everything.”

“No, thank you.”

Gathering of the Demigods

            Jess and I walked hand in hand down to the gathering room. I still couldn’t take my eyes away from the beautiful doors. Once we got down the stair case and into the room I was now referring to as the tech room, we went through another set of double doors.

            This room was different than the others as well, and it was amazingly beautiful. I felt like I had stepped through the doors and into a rainforest. The paintings on the walls were of trees and forestry, there was the aroma of the jungle going through the air. You could hear the sounds of water running as if it were a quiet stream, and the mellow sound of what reminded me of crickets in the still of night. There were vines going up and down the walls and I had to go up and touch them for myself just to make sure that they were real. There was a little pond on the left hand side of the room with fish of a multitude of different colors. In the center of the room was a large table, deep cherry brown. The legs were the carvings of tree trucks. This room was astonishing. I sat to the right of dad, who was sitting at the head of the table.

            I barely had enough time to take in the beauty of the room when I realized there were many other people sitting around the table. One by one I looked at their faces, and I was in awe of their beauty. They all looked so strong, so gentle, and so sure of their purpose. They carried themselves in a manner that demanded respect, but also emitted love and kindness. I was eager for them to start talking, as I was sure their voices would sound as if they were singing. This was genuinely the most gorgeous gathering of people I had ever seen in one room in my life.

            Just as I took my seat I heard the sound of feet, or what I would assume should have been feet, running towards the room. As they got closer I realized that they sounded more like the stomping of paws rather than feet and I was suddenly frightened at what was happening. I felt as if we might be about to be eaten alive. As the sounds got closer their intensity grew louder and louder. Whatever was coming towards the door seemed enormous. My dad walked over to the double doors and held them open. I relaxed a little, because I knew that he would not do this if there was any danger. I held my breath when I saw what was coming.

            Through the doors ran two beautiful, but terrifying lions, five  over-sized hawks flew in from over head, four leopards came racing in after the lions, with six foxes right on their tail. After the foxes, seven wolves came pacing in. All the animals were much larger than ones I had seen before, on television, and in the zoos. I was completely awestruck. They all circled around the table and took their seats. While they were sitting I almost fainted as I watched them transform from the beautiful creatures into great men and women who were just as strikingly astonishing. This was just too much to take in for one night. I felt as if I was going to lose my head.

            The first man stood up, he was roughly six feet two inches tall and he had sandy blonde hair. It was long and pulled back out if his face. He had strong, manly features but when he smiled, they seemed to go a bit soft. His eyes were a deep brown and he was looking directly towards me. “My name is Lucas, I have known your father for many years, and I am here to serve him and help in any way that I can. I have the ability to heal those that are injured and I pledged my allegiance to these people long before you were born, dear Emma. I have heard a lot about you, and it is an honor to finally meet you.”

            The woman beside him stood up as he was sitting down.  She was slender and, as the rest of them ravishingly beautiful. She had auburn red hair and dark blue eyes; as blue as the ocean. She wore a deep green dress that fit snug to her little figure. She smiled at me, “My name is Kirstina, I have the ability to freeze people where they stand. It doesn’t last more than two minutes, but it will help when and if a battle ensues. I, like Lucas, and everyone else sitting at this table pledged my allegiance to your father many years ago, and I will fight beside him to the death.” Before she sat down she turned to Jess, “I am so sorry about your loss, my old friend. You are a good man.”

            “Thank you,” Jess smiled back.

            The next man to stand up was sitting beside Kirstina. He was shorter than Lucas, but still roughly six feet tall. I couldn’t get over their amazing posture. He had dark brown hair, cut short. His eyes were a shade of green I had never seen before in a person. He looked to be no older than twenty-three. “My name is Justice, I, like you, come from a long line of Demigods. I am the only one left from my lineage, and your father took me in when I was young and had lost my family. He was more of a father to me than I had ever known, since I was much too young at the time to really remember my parents. He told me great stories about them, and helped me to get a great understanding of the truly magnificent people that they were. I am proud to call them my parents, just as I am proud to say that I would die to save the life of one of yours. I have the ability of visions. Not in the sense of me seeing them, but rather in the sense of making the Contagium people see who they were before they abandoned their ability to love and their goodness. It pains them, and angers them, to see their former selves. In the time of battle, it is a good distraction. It throws them out of balance, if you will. I will fight beside you and our people, if that is what it comes down to. It is a pleasure to meet you and fight at your side, Emma.”

            I could tell that this was all going on because of me. Clearly they all already knew each other. But I was enjoying getting the introductions. These men and women were like none I had ever met.

            Justice took his seat and the man beside him rose. He was by far the tallest in the room and probably was just shy of six feet seven inches. I had never seen a man so tall. His hair was a dirty blonde color, and he had a goatee. His eyes were the green of fresh grass, and his muscular physique was hard to not notice. He reached across the table, which was no problem for him and he shook my hand. “It is an honor, Emma, your abilities, once learned, will be a great help when the time comes. My name is Jeremiah and I am much older than you think. I was born roughly one hundred and fifty years ago. Your father and I grew up in this house, for the most part. We were the best of friends. I have known my whole life that we would be fighting alongside each other. I have the ability to control and create fire. I can produce it in the palm of my hands and manipulate it in any way that I choose. I will allow my own life to be taken in the efforts to keep you and your family safe.”

            After Jeremiah took his seat the next man rose to his feet. He was darker in complexion and looked as if he loved the outdoors. He was burly looking, but had a handsome face. He wore earthy colors, and had a long beard. His eyes were full of mystery and a tender kindness was reflecting out of their beautiful shade of brown. “My name is Peter, and I am the Demigod of electric currents. I can produce it, control it, and send it pulsating through anyone who tries to attack me or any of us. You father saved my life when we were young and I will never be able to pay him back for that debt. I will fight beside you, and I will keep you safe. Anyone who tries to harm you will be in for quite a shock!” He said with a humorous tone.

The room broke off into a quiet laughter. Apparently he was the less serious one in the group. He gave me a wink and took his seat again.

I looked at the woman sitting beside him. She was roughly in her late teens, or at least she appeared to be. She had light blue eyes and a smile that could light up the room. She was about five feet 8 inches tall and had the body of a super model. She was stunning. She looked at me and rose to her feet. “My name is Laura, and I am the Demigod of speed. We are all fast, but I can run around the world two times in the time it takes you to get from here to the end of the lawn outside. I am strong and I will be at your side in less than the blink of an eye to carry your or your family out of danger, if it is necessary. You will be safe with me near. “

She returned to her seat, and the woman beside her stood. She had very long blonde hair that went to her lower back and dark green, very alluring eyes. It was almost as if she was looking straight to the depth of my soul.  “My name is Sam, and I am the Demigod of dreams. I can communicate to people though their dreams. I am not much good in battle, apart from my speed, but I help people gain a better understanding of one another. I can see the lives that people have lived through looking into their eyes, and I can recreate those lives in the dreams of other people, if it is necessary, in order for them to fully grasp the depth of another person. I can give people instructions in their dreams, if they need it. It is my way to help keep the peace between everyone around.”

            She took her seat and the man beside her stood. “My name is Lance. I am the Demigod of strength. If you were to take the strength of every man and woman, except for you, of course, in this room, and multiply it by two thousand, it would not measure up to my strength. I however, do not have the speed that I would want. With the speed of Laura, and my strength, together we are unstoppable. I will do what I can to keep these people, my family, out of the way of harm. I will use all the strength that I have. “

            I was stunned by the build that he had. I did not doubt for a second that he was the strongest person I had ever seen. But I had to stop for a second when I realized he took me out of that equation of his strength. “What do you mean ‘apart from me’”?

            “You are more powerful than you realize, dear one. Your abilities are amazing, and you will learn them and be trained in them soon enough.”

            The whole idea of that threw me for a loop, but I suppose I would just continue to listen for now.

            The lady beside him rose to her feet. She was average in height with jet black hair. Her eyes were a greenish-blue and she had a tan complexion. She, like them all, was a beauty. “My name is Beth, and I am the Demigod of sight. I have the ability to take the sight away from our enemies. It lasts roughly less than a minute, and it takes me about five more minutes to get the strength to be able to apply my power again but it is a great help when in battle. That short blindness can give us the upper-hand in any fight. It is an honor and a privilege to meet you, Emma.”

            We finally reach the side of the table that the animals had taken their seats and changed into humans. One of the wolves took a stand. “My name is Dante, and these are my clan.” He pointed to the men and women beside him. “This is Thomas, Markus, Crystal, Sophia, Cassandra, and Josie. We, as you have seen, can morph ourselves into creatures of the night. We are wolves, great wolves, and we are all roughly over one-hundred and twenty years of age. We have the wisdom of the ages and the strength and speed of the fiercest of animals. We will show no mercy to those that threaten to bring us harm.”

He sat down and one of the Foxes took a stand. It didn’t surprise me that each of them in their human form,  slightly resembled how they had looked in their animal form. All the foxes had reddish hair and deep golden eyes. “My name is Cyrus, and this is my clan, Ivan, Eliza, Ruban, Jamie, and Adam. We are swift, and we are sly; light on our feet and quiet when it is necessary. We can attack almost anyone before they even know they are in any danger. We will watch your back through any circumstance.”

He sat and the leader of the leopards rose. “My name is Tasha, and my clan consists of my siblings, Kacey, Joshua, and Damien. We are hunters by nature and faster than any of the animals in this room. We will use our speed and our keen sense of smell to alert us of any signs of danger.”

Tasha sat and the leader of the hawks rose. “My name is Stephan and my clan consists of William, Patrick, and the twins, Daniel and Daniella. We have the advantage of the skies. We keep watch over the house at night to ensure that there will be no one attacking. We are swift and silent. We are a surprise element to any battle and we pledge our allegiance to keep you and yours safe.”

Stephan sat and one of the two Lions rose. “My name is Benjamin, and this is my wife, Noel. We are the only two left of our kind, and we will be by your side during battle. We are a great deal larger than any typical lion, and just looking at us scares those who pose a threat. We will do what we can to keep you safe. “

            Everyone got done introducing themselves, while I was trying to get a grasp on who was who and being able to remember all their names.

            Don’t worry. It will all be easier to remember as time passes and you get to know them. I heard the words in my mind and I looked up at Jess to give in a smile of gratitude.

            Dad was the first person to stand and everyone looked up at him. “Time to eat and celebrate!” He announced in an enchantingly excited tone. Leave it to a man to be THAT excited over food. I was hungry, though, so I was eager to walk into the dinner hall.

            We all rose to our feet and followed my dad into the next room over. It was just as large as the others, and just as wonderful. It had a large crystal chandelier hanging above the table. The table had diamonds around the edges of it and was made out of a deeper colored wood than the one in the gathering room. The lighting was perfect for dining. Not super bright, but somehow just light enough. The smell coming from the kitchen made me realize just how hungry I was. It was mid afternoon at this point, and I think everyone had been starved from their journeys to get here. There were elaborately detailed paintings on the walls of different fruit arrangements. Standard paintings you would see in most dining rooms. There was a prayer of thanks scripted along the wall by the top of the door that led into the kitchen.

            Just as I looked to the kitchen doors I saw the food coming out. I didn’t realize that we had butlers, maids, and chefs here at our disposal. I guess we were going to need it, with so many of us. There was lobster, steak, chicken, a whole pig, potatoes, clams, every vegetable imaginable, fruit salads, green salads, pasta salads, spaghetti, lamb, and so much more. I don’t think there could have been any other type of food there for us to eat. It was unbelievable. I think we had enough food to last us a year. Everyone was eating and laughing. I was listening to Jess, but I was also focused on the other people talking amongst each other.

             Cyrus and the others in the fox clan were comparing fights they had been in and how they won them.

            “Do you remember the battle in France 27 years ago?” I heard Eliza, the smallest of the foxes say. “I was fighting the Contagium member who had turned herself into a bear. What was she thinking? A bear? They are so slow compared to me. I am quick. I had fun with that one. I was weaving in and out of her feet and she tripped over herself. I think I did her a favor by ending it quickly. She was just going to kill herself if she kept falling over her feet like that. She was hazardous to her own health all fumbling and out of balance like that. HA! A bear! I better get a challenge this time!”

            “That’s nothing!” I heard Stephan, the leader of the hawks retort. “I had just barely arrived at the battle that day when I noticed things being thrown at me from the trees. It took me a brief second to realize what annoying creature was throwing stones at me, when I saw the monkey in the tree! I hope they have a better tactic this time, because I’m looking to take them down hard! I swooped down just as I saw him and I picked him up with my claws. That little monkey started panicking the second I had my talons around him, and I wasn’t even scratching the cute little thing!”

The room laughed when he referred to the monkey as being “cute.”

            “I took him as far and I felt like flying over the middle of the ocean and dropped him in. Poor little guy, he wasn’t the best swimmer. I’m pretty sure a shark gobbled him before he had a chance.”

            The conversation went on and they kept comparing their abilities and debating why one was better than the other, or how they could defeat each other if they were fighting in a match against the other. I was utterly convinced that my mom was right about her ability beating that of Peter. There was no way that electricity could beat water. He would be rendered useless, and I don’t think he was willing to test that theory.

            The wolves were eating their food at an incredible rate, as I’m sure was customary of their eating habits. I had never seen people with such hearty appetites. I was second guessing how long this food would last us. Once they took a breather from their eating they starting debating on their strength and why one of them was stronger than the other one. They were all completely sure that they were faster and stronger than their brother and they were more than willing to put it to the test. I was eager to see this happen. I wasn’t sure who was stronger. They kept trying to convince me of why it was “me that is stronger” or “me that is smarter in a battle.”

I laughed to myself and thought I had eaten more food than my body would know what do to with. Just as I was about to sit back and admit defeat from any more food, the servers began bringing out dessert. I didn’t accept any, but it was amazing the detail that clearly went into make the various different kinds of desserts. There was something for everyone. Cakes stacked seven layers high, and ice cream that they set a flame to for display. You name it and I promise it was there. It was utterly astounding. They must have been baking and cooking for months!

            My dad rose to his feet, after listening to everybody say that they were the strongest and give their reasons why. “I have decided that we will have a competition; A display of talents, if you will. Everyone in here is so sure of their abilities and why they are so much more powerful than the person sitting next to them, that is, of course, except for Peter versus my lovely wife.”

            Everyone laughed and Peter accepted his defeat in that battle before it would ever be tried.

            “I say we give everyone a chance to prove themselves,” my dad continued. “After our meal, let us all meet out in the field and compete with one another. One versus one, two versus two or however each competitor decides they would like to fight. All in good fun of course. We will not be allowing anyone to get hurt tonight. Just a little bit of good sport before we catch some rest.”

            Everyone seemed excited about this and agreed. They all started planning who they were going to fight against.

            “There is absolutely NO way you will beat me!” I heard Dante say across the table to Tasha.

            “You just brought yourself a whole lot of embarrassment for after our fight!” Tasha retorted.

            I couldn’t help but be excited about this as I laughed along with the rest of the group. We all finished eating and washed up before we headed out to the big field. Some of the people changed their clothes, as they did not want to be fighting in dresses and nice suits.

I walked out with Dante and Cyrus and they decided that they wanted to be the first ones to fight. “Just wait until you are trained, dear one.” Cyrus smiled at me. “You are going to be the strongest of us all. You have some powerful genes in you. I don’t think even Dante would want to challenge you. Not even in HIS wolf form. You’ll be able to take anyone of us!

            I smiled. “I doubt that, but let’s get this party started!”

            We all gathered in a large circle in the yard outside behind the house. It was a clear evening and the weather seemed to be perfect for being outside. Everyone was eager to start showing off their strength. I was excited to watch.

            My dad walked to the center of the circle. “Okay, we are going to have a fair fight, but you are more than allowed to use your abilities to your advantage. It goes without saying that, if you are going to physically harm someone through the use of your abilities, well, let’s just save those for the Contagium. I overheard Dante and Cyrus discussing that they wanted to go first, so they are going to get their wish. The first one to keep the other on the ground for a five second count wins.” He turned his head to where Dante and Cyrus stood, “well gents, are you ready?”

            “Let’s do this!” Cyrus shouted with a heightened excitement.

Cyrus had already turned himself into a fox and Dante was pulling the clothes off his back while morphing into the most beautiful of wolves. They began to circle around each other. I was getting nervous. It was easy to imagine them keeping their fight fair when they were just men, but now they were wild animals standing, or pacing, before me. How were they going to remain calm?

            My wandering thoughts quickly refocused and became riveted as Dante took an unbelievable leap into the air. He was diving straight down towards Cyrus. Cyrus was quick though, and he wasn’t going to let that one get passed him. Just as Dante was a foot above him Dante dove under him and turned around to face his opponent once again. Dante was just turning around when Cyrus took a playful nip at his tail. He grabbed it between his teeth, clearly not hurting the wolf, but still holding him where he stood. He was undoubtedly proud of himself. Just when he was snickering between his grasp, Dante took his hind leg and gave Cyrus a decent kick to the mouth. Everyone began to laugh.

            “You asked for that one Cyrus. Don’t bite a wolf’s tail and laugh about it.” Kacey, the youngest leopard laughed.

            Cyrus took two steps back and was repositioning himself. Before he had time to think Dante ran a circle around him in lighting fast speed his body was in the air, and in it what seemed like a fragment of a second he was on Cyrus’ back. He held him down and the crowd began to count. “One, two, three, four, five!” Everyone shouted in unison.

            Dante removed himself from Cryus’ back and they both took a step back and bowed to each other in good sportsmanship.

            They left the circle and before anyone could say anything Lance and Laura entered the circle. Clearly they had already decided that they would be up next; Speed and strength. This one should be fun. All the strength in the world is useless if you can’t catch your target.

            Laura began running circles around lance while he was grabbing trees and other things to throw in her way. She dodged them and ran around them as if it was nothing. I laughed at the idea of this actually getting finished. I blinked for a second and when I opened my eyes Laura had something in her hand. Where had she gone? She really was fast. She had one of those stun gun things you see police use. She used it! What was she thinking? Wouldn’t that hurt him? I guess he was the strongest man in the world, so it probably didn’t make much impact on him. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. She was laughing to herself and she stood over him with on foot resting on his chest. She was standing like she was a champion.

            Just as the crowd reached the count of four he grabbed her by the foot and pulled her to the ground. Her loss was inevitable. After we counted to five he looked down at her, “You could have gone anywhere, retrieved anything to defeat me with, and you chose a stun gun? Really?”

            The crowd laughed as they couldn’t help but agree.

            The next two to enter the circle were none other than my mom and dad. Everyone was excited for this one. They stood before each other and they smiled in the idea of testing each other. As my dad put his hands to the grass my mom stretched hers out toward the pond at the left end of the yard. My dad started to stand and the earth was moving with him. Dirt was coming up with him in a long line as he stood taller. He gathered it and was starting to point it towards my mom. Just as he was about to throw the dirt, my mom lunged her hand forward towards him. The dirt and the massive amount of water met in the middle and turned to mud. It fell to the ground and the crowd burst out into hysterics.

            My dad was up in the tree before we knew it and he was manipulating the branches. The tree started to move towards my mom, but before my dad knew what hit him he was washed out of the tree by a flood of water.

            Everyone started laughing as he laid there on the ground completely soaked. A few leaves fell off the tree on top of his head and he decided to surrender.

            Just as everyone was enjoying their laughter and the fun of the sport the crowd went silent. Dad quickly rose to his feet. Just off in the distance we heard someone announce “Now, now, I am just here to talk. Don’t let me spoil your fun.” The anger and malice in his voice was indescribable.

            “Jason, what are you doing here?” I heard dad demand with a hint of anger in his voice.

            “Calm down, John. It has been a while. I just want to talk. I promise to keep my hands to myself.” He retorted in a cynical tone.

            He approached the center of the circle, and I clutched Jess’ arm. I didn’t like the feeling he was giving me. He kept eyeing me the whole time he was walking up. It was as if I was of value to him.

            “You have a lot of people here, I can see.” Jason said in a sick tone. “Don’t you guys feel confidant. Don’t let your numbers and abilities fool you. Our strength and numbers is a thousand times what it was in France, and it would be wise of you to go back to your little hiding places and let us be before you lose all over you ‘loved’ ones. He said the word “love” as if it were a joke to him.

            My dad approached him. “We do not want to fight with you, Jason, but if you bring us to that, then we will defeat you. You have no power that we cannot destroy. You derive your powers from evil, and from the general insight you have on what WE are capable of. No matter how great your numbers, and no matter how strong your people, WE will always be stronger and you know this. So, if you want to bring it down to a fight, then we will be ready and waiting. It is your choice and yours alone. You cannot scare us away.”

            “Suit yourselves,” He snarled at my dad. “The next time we see each other, it will be your life that hangs in the balance. You want to keep all the ‘innocent’ human people safe. You are just going to be hurting them more. You think your people are so good and so strong. They will turn. You don’t know the power of the Contagium. You are going to lose this one, John, just wait. And when that happens, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He turned and walked away.

            “Well, I think that is enough for one night.” My dad looked around at the crowd. “What do you say we all go get some rest?”

            Everyone seemed to agree with his decision for sleep and turned to walk towards the house. There was a fire burning and some of us decided it would be nice to sit and relax while others went to bed. As we sat I listened to stories of different battles and slowly let my mind wander into a dream like state. I really was getting quit tired.

            “Do you want to go to bed?” I heard Jess ask.

            “I guess I probably should.” I answered.

            He put his arm around me and before I knew it he was carrying me up to my room. I could hardly complain. I hadn’t realized how tired I was. I don’t think I would have made it up the winding stairs.

The Dream

            I was more than exhausted, and the idea of getting good night sleep sounded better than just about anything right now. Jess laid me down gently on my bed and pulled the cover over me.  I laughed. “Well aren’t you just the sweetest.” I said in a teasing tone, smiling at him.

            He brushed the hair out of my eyes and tucked it gently behind my ear. “Get some sleep, Emma. I am glad you are here, I’ll see you in the morning.”

            I closed my eyes and I was drifting off in what seemed like seconds.

            Before I knew what was happening, the whole scene had changed. I knew that I was still sleeping, but I was in complete recognition of the scene before me. I was back in my own house and I was in my bedroom. I was watching myself. I was seven years old, and if I was remembering this night correctly, about to be awakened from a nightmare. I watched myself wake up in a gasp for air. I was looking around the room and I couldn’t see anything. It was so dark that night. I had felt someone near me. Someone was watching me, and I couldn’t see them. I didn’t know who it was.

            I kept trying to remind myself that I was fine. “It was just a dream, go back to sleep. It was just a dream.” I heard my younger self repeating as I stood there watching.

            I lay there, clutching my pillow as if it was my only lifeline and I was horrified. I remember not being able to shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Just then, as I was watching myself I saw movement in the corner of the room. Someone WAS watching me that night! I saw the dark, and evil looking figure eying me. Was I losing my mind? How could I have missed this when it was actually taking place? It was so dark that night…

            The figure was lurking towards me, and even though I knew the end result, I was still horrified for the little version of myself that I was watching.

            What caused the end result? Was it just there to watch me? Clearly this creature had not hurt me that night. It simply scared me. Just as my thoughts were beginning to race, I saw another movement. This one came from behind the creature. Someone was climbing through my window. I wasn’t as scared seeing this happen and for some reason felt a sense of comfort. As the figure came through the window, I realized that it was a man. He was tall, strikingly handsome and…Jess! What was he doing there? I guess that explains how he knew my room so well the night we got the plane tickets.

            Jess silently walked up behind the evil being just as it was starting to lurk closer towards me. He grabbed it and pulled it through the window. Before I knew what was happening, they were outside. I looked out the window as I watched Jess fight against the creature. There really wasn’t much competition. Jess was knocked to the ground one time, but just as the creature was relishing in his success at bringing Jess to the ground, Jess was up and behind it. He planted both feet in the lower back of the thing and before I could realize what was happening, Jess broke its neck. At the same moment that I heard its neck break, the creature disintegrated and disappeared.

            I turned back towards my child self and admired how peacefully I was sleeping. Jess came back in through my window and walked over towards the girl sleeping in the bed, over towards me. “Sleep well, little one, I will never let anything harm you.” And he tucked the hair that was in my face behind my ear.

            In that moment I woke up in my new house-sized room. It was a very clear night, and I was amazed at the dream I had just had. This must have been something I was meant to see. This must have been brought on by Sam. She wanted me to realize how much Jess had been looking out for me. It really made me see the truly genuine and caring man Jess was. I had to wonder how many other times he had been there during nights like those, and how many times someone was watching me when I felt that there was.

            I had to go thank Jess. It was the middle of the night, but I felt that a thank you was long overdue. I walked across the hall to the door he had told me was his. I poked my head in and he was asleep. I wasn’t sure if I should wake him. I walked quietly over to his bedside and admired him sleeping. He was incredibly strong, as he laid there in only his shorts. It was a rather warm night. I couldn’t help but admire his muscles and physique. More than that, my eyes were focused on his face. His features seemed soft and angelic. The love I felt come from him was of the purest kind.

            As I stood there admiring, He slowly opened his eyes and gazed at me. “Oh, hello, I was just dreaming about you.” He said with a smile.

            “Oh! I didn’t mean to wake you! I’m sorry. Hey, I just dreamed about you, as well.”

            He smiled at me.

            “I just wanted to thank you for, you know, always watching after me when I was younger. I didn’t realize that you were probably putting yourself in danger, many times, and I appreciate it.”

            It is no problem, dear one. I would risk my life over and over again if that meant keeping you safe.”

            I sat at the side of his bed next to his stomach and lightly touched his face. “You really are the sweetest man.”

            He sat up for a second and placed his hand in mine. He leaned forward and lightly kissed my forehead. “Get to bed, hun, we will have more time to talk tomorrow.”

            “Sleep well, Jess.”

            “You do the same, Emma.”

            I walked back to my room and closed the door. My heart was feeling overwhelmingly happy. What was it about this guy? I wasn’t sure why I was so drawn to him, but I knew that I liked the way it was affecting me. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. Before I knew it, I was drifting off into sleep.

Learning Something New

            It was early in the morning when I heard my door creek open. I rolled over to see Jess walking in the room.

            “Hey, are you awake?” He asked me seeming excited.

            “Yeah, I am now.” I shot him a sleepy smile.

            “Okay well, get cleaned up and meet me down stairs in about twenty minutes. I want to take you somewhere.”

            I got up and walked into the bathroom. It was enormous, just like the rest of the house. There were four sinks with gold faucets and beautiful marble counters. The shower was a black marble color with flecks of gold reflecting from it. The towels were even held in a heating bin. I could get way too used to this.

            I got cleaned up and headed down stairs.

            “You look lovely, Emma. Are you ready for today?” Jess asked me while reaching out his hand.

            I grabbed his hand eagerly, “Yes, where are we going?”

            “You’ll see, my dear, you’ll see.”

            We walked through the tech room and then through the room that reminded me of an old English film and we headed for the door. Jess got the door for me and we headed outside. We were walking for a while and I was taking in the scenery. It was different to look at everything from a slower perspective rather than from a running speed. We turned the corner and I saw a small park off in the distance.

            “We are going to work on your personal abilities,” Jess said while taking my hand.

            “This should be interesting,” I smiled sarcastically.

            We walked to the park and he led me to the center. No one was there, and I was pretty certain that the park was a part of the house’s property.

            “Okay,” Jess said, “First I guess you should understand some of the abilities that you have. You are much the same as your parents, in your ability to manipulate earth and water, that is. But you also have the strength of Lance. You have already used your speed. There are other abilities that you have, at least that is what we have been told, but you will begin to develop those with time. Your main ability is more of a gift than a skill, but it is my favorite part about you. You have the gift of intuition. You can understand, very quickly, what it is that other people are feeling. Be it they are happy, sad, angry, or indifferent, you are very in-tune with their emotions. The way that you feel for people, your love for them, is about one hundred times more powerful than that of anyone else in the world. That is why you were so quick to feel that your life was over when you had believed your parents were gone. You love them, just as anyone loves their parents, but the power and the reality behind your love runs so much deeper and is so much stronger than any other living being.

            The thought of that made me smile a little bit, because if there was one thing that I did understand out of all of this, it would be the level from which I loved. “Well, that somehow makes sense to me. I’m not sure about the other gifts I have, but I am glad to know I’m not crazy for feeling so passionately about things.”

            Jess smiled at me, the kind and genuine smile that was starting to always make my heart jump. “Okay, with that, let’s get started! I want you to give a few things a try, but I need you to be willing to close your eyes and focus your mind. I am not going to speak, but I need you to listen to what I am saying to you. The silence around you will help you center your concentration on what it is that you are striving to do.”

            I was a little bit nervous, “Okay,” was all I could get myself to say to him.

            Jess led me to the center of the park and let go of my hand. He took ten steps backwards.

            Close your eyes.

            I complied and started trying to clear my mind of all the events taking place in the last week.

            Now focus. I need you to picture the trees off in the distance. There is not breeze today, and I need you to imagine that there is.

            I imagined the trees swaying from side to side and the gentle touch of the wind on my face. I pictured my hair rustling lightly in the wind.

            That’s good. Now I want you to center your mind on your desire for the wind to be here. I want you to decide that you want the trees to cast a breeze across your face.

            I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like I should reach my hands out to the trees. Perhaps it was because mom had reached her hand out toward the water. I am not sure, but it felt right, and it helped me focus.

            You’re doing great, Emma. Now really center your mind around the feel and the sensation of the wind. Take it into your own hands. Control it. The wind, the earth, the materials of the ground and the skies are yours, Emma, control them.

            Just as I heard those words in my head I felt a sudden surge of energy. It was as if it ran straight from the soles of me feet and through my whole body. It shook me. I felt it pulsating through my arms, past my elbows, and through my finger tips. Before I knew what I was doing I shot my eyes open and threw both my hands out towards the trees as far as I could stretch them. The leaves started to rustle, and the trees began to shake. Not just the tree I was focused on, but all of them. There was a howl in the skies, and the wind began to blow. Not just a light breeze, but an intense wind. I held my ground to keep my balance and I looked back at Jess. There was a huge smile across his face and he was laying back on the ground, knocked down from the wind.

            Jess ran towards me, “That was amazing, Emma! I have never seen someone show so much power on their first attempt! And I have NEVER been knocked off my feet by someone controlling the wind! You are far more powerful than you realize.”

            I felt exhilarated. “What’s next?! I’m so excited! That felt amazing. I’ve never felt like I could have so much power!”

            “Okay okay! Let’s move on to manipulating water. That has a bit more substance than the wind, and it could be a little bit harder, but I have no doubt that you can do it.”

            Jess took back to his place about ten paces away from me.

            Okay, close your eyes again and focus. Picture the water, Emma, Imagine the feel of it; the cool sense of it being in your hands. Listen for the flow of the water, Emma, direct your attention to the sound of the steady flow.

            I didn’t know which direction the water was in terms of where I was standing, and I tried to find it. I cleared my head and I listened. I heard a few birds off in the distance, whistling and soaring above me. I heard the sound of a cricket somewhere nearby. I silenced those sounds out and I listened beyond them. Just off to the left of me I could hear the steady, but quiet sound of a creek flowing down stream. I imagined the waterfall that must have been somewhere a bit farther off.

            Okay, Emma, now imagine holding the water in your hands. Take it. It’s yours to take. Use your strength of mind. Visualize where you want the water to go. Lead it, Emma, guide it there.

            I could feel it within me that I was already controlling the water. I could hear it change courses. I tried to hold back a laugh when I imagined a small waterfall of water falling on Jess.

            I can hear it. You’re doing amazingly.

            I had it. I turned towards Jess just in time to see about seven gallons of water fall right on his head. I fell down in hysterics.

            Jess ran back to me again. “If I wasn’t so amazed by you, I might care that you soaked me,” He said while very intentionally hugging me close to him.

            “Hey! You’re getting me wet! That’s not fair!” I laughed and he put me down.

            We continued to work on my skills and abilities for a couple of hours, laughing and enjoying ourselves the whole time. It was breathtaking to me how natural all of this was coming. By the time we had decided to take a break from our practicing, I was able to manipulate both water and earth at the same time. The wind was blowing and the water was falling down around us. Jess was utterly shocked at the progress I had made.

            “I have never in all my days witness someone bring in clouds and make it rain!” He announced. “I have seen people make it rain when there are already rain clouds above them, but I never imagined someone bringing forth clouds where there are none. You will never cease to amaze me!”

            “Really? I thought it made sense to do that. What am I supposed to do with my water abilities if there is no water around me? I have to bring it in from somewhere.” I smiled.

            Jess seemed to be at a loss for words and just smiled back at me for a second.

            “There are a few other abilities that you have, but you will have to work with people who are more specialized in those talents that I am.” Jess explained. “But for now, let’s just go for a walk.”

            “Sounds good to me,” I smiled and laced my pinky with his.

            We walked across the park and sat under a tree where Jess took off his backpack and grabbed out a sandwich and a bottle of water for each of us.

            “Thank you.” I took my sandwich.

            “You’re welcome.”

            We sat for a while and ate our lunch. It was mid afternoon by this point and the day was cooling down. Jess threw some water at me when I wasn’t expecting it and that started us getting into a water fight. He had is bottle and just as he was about to fling more water on me I took control of the water in his bottle and it spewed out into his direction and got him in the face.

            “Okay, you win, you win.” He laughed.

            After we had finished our pack lunches we walked over towards the mountains and through them to the little river that was flowing. We let our feet rest in the water for a while and watched the sun set in the distance. It was a beautiful evening. The water was soothing on my feet and the grass was cool against my back as I resting with my hands under my head.

            Jess stood and looked at me, “Okay, enough sitting. I have a surprise for you. We need to go further into the mountains though, so we need to start walking.”

            We walked for a while in silence, just playing with each others’ hands and enjoying being in the other’s presence. The mountains were beautiful and welcoming as we walked further into their beautiful structure.

            Jess paused for a second, glanced at me, and then kept walking. “What did you see yourself doing with your life, before all of this, I mean?”

            “I was never one hundred percent sure what I wanted to do with my life, to be honest. The idea of leaving for school was not something I was relishing because I didn’t want to leave my parents, but I had applied to several places, and I was thinking about going into nursing. I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to do nursing, but I knew that I wanted to be able to help people. I don’t much enjoy the idea of people being ill, and if I can do something to make them better than I would want to do that, I suppose.”

            Jess had a sense of peace and joy in his eyes when he looked at me. “That makes sense, you know, you wanting to help people so much. It is all a part of how deeply you love and feel emotions. You have always been that way. I remember you used to help people all the time when I would make sure you were safe as a child. More times than I can remember you were lending someone a helping hand.”

            His voice was so smooth and so kind. “Thank you” I smiled. “I guess it does make sense. What about you? What did you want to do before you discovered who you really were?”

            “Life wasn’t so easy for me. When I was growing up, my parents and I lived in a poor neighborhood and our lives were, or at least I thought they were, always in danger. I told myself when I was about six years old that I was going to be a police officer. I wanted to be sure that I could keep my parents and my friends safe.”

            “That’s a noble gesture.”

            “Thank you. When I was about seventeen I discovered who I was, and I decided I would do what I could to keep everyone safe, just as I always wanted to do, but I would be able to do that now with the knowledge that I really did have the abilities to do that.

            We reached the mountains and I turned to look at him. “How did you first discover you had special abilities?”

            He smiled in an amused way. “When I was seventeen my friends started to answer questions I didn’t ask them. I thought the question, but I never asked it. It was funny, but somewhat dangerous when it came to me getting frustrated with people. I had to watch what I ‘really wish they could hear.’ It took me a while to figure out how to send the thoughts I wanted people to hear, and how to keep others to myself,” he laughed.

            I laughed with him, “Oh man. That would be difficult. How funny. “

He let go of one of my hands and we kept walking. I was forced to stop where I stood when I realized what was in front of me. The sun had gone down and there were Christmas type lights in the trees, there was a path of beautiful roses that was lit up on either side. Lights draped around the tree trunks that led all the way up to the lights in the trees. The moon and stars were bright above us, and I could hear the light piano music playing from off in the distance. The path led to a table, a beautifully decorated, but simple table for two. There was dinner set, and a candle center piece. He squeezed my hand, walked me to my side of the table and pulled out my chair for me.

            I stared at the view, completely in love with the moment. “Did you do this? This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you. I love it.”

            Jess smiled and took his seat. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

We ate our chicken fettuccini and Italian sweet rolls that he had apparently had the chefs prepare earlier in the day and set for us before we arrived. We talked and laugh. It was a wonderfully delightful evening. I was already full when he got up from his seat and came back with the double chocolate fudge cake for dessert.

            “I remember you saying it was your favorite once to your dad when I was looking out for you one afternoon. There were rumors that the Contagium was in your area, and I was driving by. It was your mom’s birthday and you were making her a cake.”

            “Well, I love it. It is my favorite.” I felt like a little girl again with no troubles in the world.

            After we finished eating we decided we should probably head back to the mansion. We were taking our time walking and just enjoying the sights around us. The air was still, and the sound of the water in the distance was much clearer than it had been this afternoon. We were holding hands and just taking advantage of the moment. The sky was bright and the stars seemed so much closer than they were. I was walking and day dreaming when he stopped me suddenly. I was pulled back when he didn’t let go of my hand. I turned to look at him and he was looking back into my eyes. He pulled me closer to him and moved my bangs out from my face.

            “You are beautiful,” He said while smiling at me.

            He caressed my face gently with his finger tips while he slowly smoothed his other hand over my arm. I closed my eyes to the feeling of his gentle, warm hand against my cheek. We inched a little bit closer to each other and he moved his fingers down my cheek to the tip of my jaw bone. I shuttered a little when it sent a chill down straight to my toes. My heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t help but blush a little bit. He tilted my head up and looked me straight in the eyes. The beauty of his eyes was piercing straight down to my soul. I had never known a man to have so much gentleness in his eyes. He smiled and me and leaned forward, lightly kissing the tip of my nose and then moving up and kissing my forehead letting his lips linger against my skin slightly longer than he had last night.

            I ran my hand across his arm, “I think I can get used to this way too easily.”

            “Well, you better get used to it, my dear, because I am not going anywhere.”

            We looked at each other for a long minute and then continued walking back to the mansion. We got back and he held the door open for me. Everyone was getting ready for bed, and we decided we should do the same. We walked up the stairs and down the hallway to our rooms. He hugged me goodnight, kissing me lightly on the cheek and we both went to bed, letting out hands linger in each others’ until our fingers were no longer touching and we were in our bedroom doors. 

Danger in the midst

            It was just after eleven in the evening and I was comfortably in my bed. I was replaying the night in my head and smiling to myself. I couldn’t help but wonder if Jess had already fallen asleep. Downstairs I started to hear people talking in a rather loud manner, which had surprised me because I had thought everyone was sleeping.

            “What is going on?!” I heard the deep voice of Benjamin ask.  You could almost hear the growl under his breath. “Noel and I were sleeping, when we heard the two hawks outside. Why are they making so much noise? And the whispering, what was that?”

            “I am not sure,” I heard dad reply. “The Contagium powers are far greater than they used to be, but it is nothing that we can’t handle. The whispering is a way of taking control. They are praying to an evil power, and they are trying to attack.

            I made my way from my bedroom to where they were in the main hall. Jess was right behind me. “Did you look out your window?” He asked me.

            “No, what is out there?” I replied.

            “There is a storm coming, but it is like nothing I have ever seen before.”

            We were standing in the room now where everyone else had gathered. Benjamin and noel, the lion and lioness were sitting on the leather couch, clearly annoyed at losing sleep unexpectedly. Across from them were Cyrus and Ivan to speak for the foxes, Dante and Markus for the wolves, Joshua and Damien were listening on behalf of the leopards, and William and Patrick for the hawks. The rest of the men and women were standing around in a somewhat circular manner, as to not exclude anyone.

            “I am not sure what is going on, but there is a storm coming.” Jess shared. “I believe that the whispers we are hearing are coming from within the storm.”

            Everyone started to talk briefly amongst themselves for a second as if in agreement with what was just shared.

            “So the Contagium has access to the skies now?” I heard Damien ask.

            There was a sudden chill that went through the room.

            “Where are Daniel and Daniella?” William asked with a worry in his voice.

            “They were keeping watch outside over the house tonight. We need to bring them back inside. I don’t want them anywhere near that storm when it gets closer to us.” My dad said while walking towards the door.

            We all followed and headed outside to call them back in. Just as we got to the door and pulled it open, we couldn’t help but notice the dark cloud cover over head. The storm had already reached us. We could hardly take a step outside when Daniel and Daniella flew in the door. There was something different about their appearance. Something dark.

            “Are you okay?” William asked while turning his eyes towards the dark clouds over head.

            This whispers seemed to be overpowering and they were causing the whole room to feel tense.

            Daniel started laughing when he looked at my father. “You have it all wrong, dear John. You have no power that they, we rather, cannot defeat. You are going to be destroyed. You do not know the power of the Contagium, and you do not understand it.”

            There was such a dark tone in his voice as he spoke those words.

            “You are mistaken, Daniel. You have been manipulated and you are not thinking clearly. You need to clear your head, my friend. You are not making a wise decision.” My dad spoke smoothly and with patience.

            Both Daniel and Daniella started to snicker and fly rapidly around the room. They were knocking books of shelves and diving as if they were going to attack us. They never touched any of us, but they seemed to have the intent to do so. The whispers intensified and the darkness seemed to be creeping up around the whole establishment. Just then they raced towards the door. Right behind them two other birds, black in color and abnormally large, dove off the roof and followed them. They flew fast and without regard to the things around them. As they moved farther and farther away the whispers seemed to quiet down and the clouds began to dissipate.

            The skies were clear again and there was stillness in the air.  My father looked towards William, waiting for him to say something.

            William looked back, “Well what do we do? Are we to go after them? They were two of my best. I don’t like the idea of losing them for battle.”

            There was sadness in my dads’ eyes. “I would love to go after them and to bring them back, William, but I fear that we would be risking losing more good fighters if we were to try and retrieve them. We all know that everyone has the free will to choose. They have chosen. Yes, they were deceived, and they were unprepared for what was after them, but there is nothing we can do to change that. They didn’t fight hard enough to fight off the desire for power. We have underestimated the growth in power that the Contagium have. They have grown, and they are smarter than they once were. We need to prepare ourselves for whatever they can inflict on us. We must always be on our guard.”

            “So we are to leave them to their fate, then?” Patrick asked.

            “I do not like this anymore than the rest of you,” Cyrus spoke up, “but we cannot forget that they chose. We cannot interfere with someone’s free will. Their fate is regrettable and they are going to be missed, but we can’t force someone to be good and to fight among us. They can come back to us, if they choose to do that, but we cannot force them to do that. It has to be their decision. We all know this, but it is just difficult to accept when it is in reference to people whom we love. We will welcome them with open arms if they return but, until then, there is nothing we can do except prepare for the battle that will befall us later.”

            Dante stood, “Cyrus is right. This is out of our hands. We all need to get some sleep, and it is important that we try and gain a better grasp on just what it is that we are facing. Clearly they are much more powerful than we realized. It is not going to be the same as the battle in France, and it is going to be much more challenging. If we are not careful, lives will be lost. We need to ready ourselves for the battle and accept that there is going to be bloodshed.”

“Let us all get some rest,” I heard my dads’ calm voice, “It has been a long night, and we are all tired. Let us not dwell on what we have lost, but focus on what we must do to not lose anyone else. The loss of Daniel and Daniella is painful, but we must not lose our focus. Get some sleep, everyone; we are going to need it.”

            We all headed up to our rooms in silence. The idea of the Contagium being able to take two of our people so easily was not sitting well with anyone. We suddenly felt insecure and unaware of what we were truly up against. We felt as if we may have been walking into a battle half blind and with one arm tired behind our backs. We needed to get an inside look at what they were really capable of.

Struggle within Power

            I woke up rather early the next morning and I wanted to get some more practice in. I wanted to be sure that I was prepared for anything, and I didn’t think that I was up to my full potential. Plus, I was loving the feeling of being so in control. I felt as if nothing could touch me or cause me any harm. I went out to the yard where we had enjoyed watching the competition a few nights earlier and I began to practice.

            I was bringing in the wind and the rain, I was moving the dirt and feeling the power I had intensifying. I remembered Jess telling me that I had strength, as well, and I wanted to give it a try. I walked over to one of the trees and gripped my arms around it. I focused all my energy on the tree and I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and bent my knees slightly. I started counting to myself.

            One, two, three!

            I took a deep breath and on three I pulled upwards. I felt as if I was pulling a piece of grass swiftly out of the earth it was growing from. The tree was in the air and I was holding it there. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with it now, but I was completely exhilarated. I couldn’t contain myself. I leaned back and then lunged forward, throwing the tree so far that I was unable to even see where it landed. I looked at it soar through the air and I was at a loss for words.

            I kept this up until there were a noticeably large amount of trees missing from the yard. I decided my dad would not be too thrilled about that if I kept it up, so I went back to causing a rain storm. The power I had felt so good. I loved it, and I was eager to learn and gain more.

            I started to think about the gift that I had, about how my emotions were stronger than others, and my intuition was strong and reliable. I walked towards the house and was going to try and gain a better understanding of the people inside.

            My mom and dad where the first two people I saw, and I had to admire them. They were sitting in the music room which I had yet to come by, and they were so in love with each other. My mom sat at the piano and was playing beautifully for my dad. She was always so talented with music. She sang to him while she played, and he listened and watched her with such tender eyes.

            The wolves were the next group that I walked by, and it was very clear to me that Dante and Sophia were an item. They were with the rest of the group but just slightly set apart from the others. I focused on them and how they looked at each other. Sophia was so confidant, and Dante seemed to be pretty sure of himself and strong willed, as well. He was smoothing his hand over her arm and she was looking him in the eyes. It seemed like the strongest emotions I was going to get from anyone was the feeling of love. I turned my focus toward Markus, and it was clear to me that he, too, was after Sophia. She was eying him when Dante would look away. There were complications in their relationship, and I could see that now. Sophia felt torn between the two. Dante was strong and confidant, while Markus was shy and gentle. They seemed to come from two completely separate worlds, and yet they were both filled with the same love and desire for Sophia.

            I felt that I might be intruding on their privacy by picking up all of this information, but I couldn’t help it. I was enjoying myself. If I had special talents, I may as well use them, right?

            After I was bored with watching their love triangle I moved on to the study room. There were bookshelves lining all the walls and they were all full from floor to ceiling. I couldn’t imagine that all of these books had been read at some point. There was just too many.

            I stopped focusing on the books and turned my attention to Jeremiah and Laura. Demigod of fire and Demigod of speed. They were good friends, and that was easy to see. Laura was confiding in Jeremiah, and I walked around perusing through the books, not really reading, but trying to seem as if I wasn’t paying them any mind. Laura was talking about Justice and how much she had felt drawn to him over the last couple of days. She seemed to have developed strong feelings for him, but she wasn’t ready to tell him, and she didn’t know the right way to do so. She kept referring to the fact that she “didn’t know if he was the right one.” I wondered what she meant by this, but I kept watching. Jeremiah put his arm around her and comforted her in her distress. He was a good friend.

            Lance and Peter were in the next room, which seemed to be a fitness room. This place had its own personal gym. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. They were discussing the hawks and how easily they betrayed us all. Lance was doubting the loyalty and strength of the rest of the hawks and Peter was just listening while he spoke. I could see it in Peter’s eyes that he did not agree. He was angry. How could Lance not see this? Lance kept babbling on about weaknesses and not being able to trust them. Peter sighed and it was very clear to me that he had other issues on his mind. He continued to let Lance speak until he felt it was the right moment to excuse himself. I waited about five minutes after he left and got off the abdomen machine I was using as a decoy.

            I walked out to the front yard and spotted the couples out of our group. The leopards were each paired off, Tasha with Damien and Kacey with Joshua. There were running around and wrestling with each other, clearly enjoying themselves. The only emotions they were emitting was love and loyalty to each other.

            Benjamin and noel were sitting under a tree and had taken to their lion and lioness form.  Benjamin was cleaning Noel and smoothing his paw against her tan coat. They seemed to both be worried. They were the only two left of their kind, so it did make sense that they would be worried to have to fight against forces with strengths that we were unsure of. It seemed to me that, even though they knew they would fight, if they had just reason to leave, they might be willing to do so. I couldn’t help but feel bad for them.

            What you are doing is wrong, Emma.

            I heard Jess’ voice in my head.

            You are intruding on these people’s personal thoughts and emotions. Their doubts, their fears, their insecurities, they belong to them. They are not for you to meddle in. Even if it comes naturally to you.

            I turned to face him. “You don’t know what you are talking about, I was just trying to get a better understanding of them. It is my gift, and I will use it as I please!” I heard myself getting angry with him, but I wasn’t sure why.

            Emma, you have many gifts, but using them and taking advantage of them are both different things. You have to use them for good, Emma, not to simply help yourself.

            I snarled at him. “Don’t try and tell me what I can and can’t do with my abilities. They are mine, not yours. Mine.”

            I felt bad after yelling at him, but there was a part of me that was unwilling to take back my words.

            Emma I care about you, and I am always going to watch out for you. You know what is right for you, and I am not going to try and tell you what to do.

            Jess walked away and I decided to go for a walk and cool off. I walked back down to the river where I had been sitting the night before. As I was sitting there I heard the sound of feet behind me. I turned and saw Cyrus approaching me.

            “Hey, Emma.” He smiled.

            “Hey.”

            He took a seat beside me. “I couldn’t help but over hear you arguing with Jess. I know he doesn’t want to say anything to upset you, he cares about you too much, but I have something to say, and I want you to listen to me.”

            I had already begun to relax a little bit so it was easy for me to oblige. “I’m all ears,” I smiled at him.

            “All of us have gifts and abilities, Emma, but not one of us has the same amount of power that you do. Your strength is great, and you are going to be developing more and more over the coming days and weeks. One of the biggest struggles you are going to face is within the power that you have. Your greatest strength can also be your greatest weakness. You are strong in your emotions; in the way you love, care, trust, feel, and desire. Everyone has desires, and there isn’t one person here that doesn’t want to have power. We all want to be sure that nothing can harm us, and that we are more powerful than the threats that may come to us. You, dear child, have that power. But having so much power, and having such strong emotions makes your desire for more power so much stronger. You have to be able to control your desires, Emma. You can’t let them get a hold of you. Before you can completely control your abilities, you have to be able to control your emotions. Jess is not going to be hurt that you got upset with him, because he understands how strong and deep your emotions run. He has accepted that. You need to focus your desire on being good, and on loving others. If you focus it on your power and your idea of having control over your life, then you are going to hurt the people around you.”

            “I hadn’t really thought about it like that.” I said, trying to understand.

            “Try not to think about it too much. Just love people, don’t meddle and intrude in their feelings. If you want to get to know people, just approach them and ask. Through reading their emotions you are going to get the impression that they are feeling at that particular moment, but without fully understanding where those emotions are derived from, you are getting a false impression of that person.”

            I nodded in agreement. “Thank you. I’ll try to do better. I appreciate you talking to me.”

            “Anytime, Emma. It is just a part of who I am.” He winked at me and rose to his feet to walk away.

            After Cyrus left I decided to head back to the mansion. I was feeling a little tired from my long day and even though it was early I wanted to get to sleep. Jess was probably upset with me and I didn’t feel like talking anymore. I would see him in the morning and talk to him then. I wanted time to clear my head and to take in what Cyrus had told me.

            I went up to my room and showered before I headed for bed. I hadn’t realized how I tired I really was until I was snug under my blankets. I fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

A Greater Love

            I wasn’t sure where I was, but I was scared. I was running in the dark and there were people after me. They were dark, and they were angry. I didn’t know what to do except run. It seemed to me that my powers were useless. They were closing in on me and I couldn’t seem to run any faster. I turned the corner down a dark alley and I had reached a dead end. I knew I was trapped. They turned the corner just seconds after me and they slowed their pace to a steady walk. They were lurking towards me, snarling at me. I was scared. I felt myself trying to use my abilities, and nothing was working. One of the dark figures grabbed my arm.

            I shot up in a start and Jess had his hand on my arm, trying to wake me. “Hey, hey, calm down, are you okay? It was just a dream.” He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

            I took a deep breath and tried to take in the scene before me. “Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I’m okay.”

            He sat down beside me and looked at me with his loving, tender eyes. It was the middle of the night and I wasn’t sure why he was here, but I welcomed the interruption from my restless sleep.

            He ran his fingers through my hair and took a breath. “I have some things on my mind, and I wanted to talk to you about them. There is more that you do not understand, and I feel that the time is right for you to know.”

            “Okay, I’m listening,” I replied while I played with his hand.

            Jess looked up at me, “Well, I know that you feel the connection between us. It is strong, and it is always going to be that way. It is stronger because of the hold you have on emotions, and sometimes the power behind your love and passion makes me feel like how I love doesn’t measure up, but that doesn’t change the fact that I will never stop loving.”

            I looked at him, listening intently while he spoke and I smiled, continuing to play with his hands.

            He paused for a second and took another breath. “Love is both easier for us and more difficult for us. As Demigods, we are all designed to be with one person. Sometimes it is as simple as being with them, and sometimes we have to wait. I have watched you grow up and I have looked over you. This is the age I am meant to be, and I will not grow, in the physical sense, just as you will stay exactly how you are now.  I knew many, many years ago that you were the one for me, and I was more than willing to wait for you to grow and mature, while vowing to myself that I would always keep you safe.”

            I wasn’t sure what to say, all of this was a lot to take in, but I was comfortable with him, and I didn’t feel weird thinking about being with him forever. He made me feel like a better person. I was slowly letting myself fall for him, and I wasn’t afraid of continuing to let that love grow. The only concern I really had was the idea of losing him.

            He shifted in his position and rested his back against the head board of my bed. He placed his arm around my back and continued to talk. “One of the first things I understood about our relationship was that I was going to be a protector. Before your powers and abilities were developed, because of the strength behind your parents and your lineage, I knew there were going to be many evil forces after you. I would never let anything harm you, Emma, and I hope you know that.”

            “I do know that,” I smiled at him and we leaned back against my pillows and he held me in his arms.

            “I knew I was going to have to wait eighteen years for you to get to this point, and for you to be able to use your powers and be the same age as me, physically. Watching you grow up was a wonderful and overwhelmingly joyful experience. I feel like I know so much about you, but now that we are here I have so much more to learn, just as you have so much to learn about me. And in time you will. The best gift I was ever given was the joy of caring for you and protecting you throughout your life. Even if we could have been together a long time ago, I would not go back and change those years.”

            I looked up at the ceiling trying to take in everything he was explaining to me. The warmth and comfort of his arm around me was so real, and in those moments I couldn’t help but believe everything he was saying. I knew I was drawn to him, and I knew that I didn’t want to lose him for anything. I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life now that he was here.

            “He ran his fingers through my hair some more. “There is a deeper level of love between our kinds, than that of regular people, especially when it comes to you. It takes two halves to make a whole, and you are my missing piece, and I am yours. Now that we are in each other’s lives, we will not feel one hundred percent complete without each other. I need you in my life, Emma, and you will start to feel how much you need me, too.”

            “I know you are right” I murmured. “I have felt a connection with you since the day I met you. That dream made me realize there is so much more here than I knew. I know that I don’t want to lose you or be without you. I am not sure this is all happening so quickly, but I don’t want it to change. I love being with you.” I turned my head and faced him, while he turned and our eyes met.

            He lightly placed his lips on my forehead and kissed me. I was completely in love with the moment, and what I was beginning to realize was that, I was completely in love with him.

            I love you, Emma.

            I heard the words pierce through my mind and I couldn’t help but feel a rush of joy go through my body. “I love you, too.” I smiled at him, unsure of where all these emotions were coming from.

            We rested like that for a while, and I listened to his heart beat steadily in his chest. This was all almost too good to be real. I looked up at him and as I did he leaned his face down towards me. Our eyes met and we just gazed lovingly at each other for a time. He leaned his face closer to mine, and I could feel the heat of his breath against my lips. I closed my eyes and leaned forward just slightly. He kissed me, and it made my insides shake. I never imagined someone could have such an impact on me, but I loved it. His lips were soft, but strong. He slowly pulled away, but kept his face close to mine, just enjoying the air we were sharing.

            I leaned back against his chest and he pulled me close against his chest. “I need to get back to bed before I fall asleep here” he laughed.

            “You’re probably right. I don’t want to get in trouble.” I agreed.

            I got up and he followed. I walked him to the door and he kissed me one more time on the lips and then twice on the forehead. “Good night, love. I’ll see you in the morning.”

            “Good night.” I smiled at him and ran my hand through his hair playfully.

            He returned to his room and I turned and walked back to my bed. I laid back down and drifted off into the most peaceful sleep I had had in a very, very long time.

Taking a Risk

            John was sitting quietly in his room, debating with himself. He was unsure if he should go try and get a better look at the Contagium. He didn’t know how much of a risk it would be, but he did know that they needed to be more aware of what they were up against. He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair, focusing his attention on the picture of him and Kate that was hanging on the wall. He knew what he had to do. He would not risk them attempting to fight against what they did not understand.

            John rose to his feet and headed downstairs. He saw Kate sitting at the piano on the way and he kissed her. “I’ll be back soon.” He murmured.

            “Okay, be safe.” My mom had learned not to question him over the years, I suppose. He has always had good judgment. Their relationship here seemed so much more strong and real than back at our house.

            He walked towards the door and left in a haste. He ran though the mountainside and past the river. He knew exactly where he was headed. Just beyond the mountains was a field. It seemed like it would never end. He kept moving past the field and then moved into the tree orchard that was just beyond it. He slowed his run and walked to the fourth tree in the second row. It was a big tree, but the leaves on it seemed to be dying. He placed his hand on the trunk and gave it a push. Just as he pushed it, it moved to the side. There was an opening in the ground beneath the tree and he took a step in. He used his abilities to manipulate the dirt and earth around him. He was making his own passage way.

            He walked about two miles in the dark, against the dirt and gravel and then came to a quick halt. Just thirty or so paces in front of him was Jason, the leader of the Contagium. He was sitting with the other members of his allegiance. John ducked behind the corner and took to watching them.

            He was stunned at what he saw before him. From the opposite direction that he came in, he saw two dogs, three bears, and four tigers come running in the room. Just as they got to the room, they transformed into grown men and women.  John had known them to have one or two animals among them before, but never such big creatures, and never more than three.

            Just as they took their seats another woman walked into the room. She was tall and slender. Had it not been for the evilness in her eyes, she would have been very stunning. Her eyes were dark and piercing. She had short dark hair and she spoke with confidence.

            “The two hawks have just arrived, and they are completely on our side. They are more than willing to comply and tell us everything they know about the abilities we are up against.”

            Jason glanced at her, “Great, Emily, that is good to hear. Leave them with the others for now, and I will talk with them later.”

            Emily took a seat and began to doodle on a paper. John could realize what was happening the drawing was coming to life. Right out of the paper he saw a wing materializing and then the next one right after it. The body of a black crow began to rise up out of the paper just after the wings. The feet and the beak were the next body parts to come to life. The crow started screeching and flew directly out of the paper.

            “Go and watch,” Emily demanded.

            The crow flew out the same way that the animals had come in and then it was gone.

            John had seen enough. Their powers had grown, and Emily was going to be a problem. He didn’t have time to sit back and watch anymore, not when that bird was probably headed to the mansion.

            He turned back and walked down the dark passage way and back up through the space where he had moved the tree. He grabbed the tree and moved it back over the opening. After he was sure there was no sign that he had been there he turned and began to run. He ran as quickly as he could away from the trees and through the field, constantly gazing at the skies, looking for the dark bird. Just as he got through the mountainside he saw the bird racing towards the mansion. He focused his attention on the ground beneath him and brought of balls of solid dirt and gravel. He started hurling them up at the creature. The bird gazed at him, aware that it had been caught, and started screeching, turning towards John. It flew with speed and precision as it was dodging the stones and dirt being thrown at it.

            John kept attacking as the bird got closer and closer to him. Just as the bird was about three feet away from John’s face, John turned his eyes to the stones that were a part of the walkway leading up to the door. He ducked to dodge the bird and focused his mind on the stone. The bird was turning back towards him when he launched the stone directly into its beak.  The bird flew backwards and to the ground. Just as it hit the ground, its body, if that’s what it was, turned to black ash and disappeared right in front of John’s eyes.

            John couldn’t take his eyes off of the place that the bird had been, surprised by how quickly it vanished right in front of him. He took a breath and headed back to the house. He walked up the steps and went through the doors announcing to everyone to meet in the gathering room once again.

            Once we were all in the room he began to speak to us, explaining everything he had just witnessed.

            “I have never seen them be able to bring things to life through drawings. This is going to be a threat in battle and the women that I saw, Emily, has to be the first person we focus on destroying. We can’t have her create enemies in greater numbers than they already have. “

            Everyone sat back to take in what he was saying, and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit nervous, since I had never been in any of the battles that they had all been a part of. I was the only one who really didn’t know what to expect. I just had to settle with the comfort that Jess and my family would never let anything happen to me, and I was powerful enough to protect myself, or at least I thought I was.

            “We can’t expect them to not attack us,” Dad continued. “They have numbers and strengths that they have not had before, and they are more confident than they once were. The possibility of an attack is much greater than I realized, and we need to have people watching at all times.”

            Cyrus stood and faced everyone, “My clan and I will take to the perimeter during the night hours. We have good eyes, and strong ears. We are fast, and if there is a threat, we can make it here in no time to alert the rest of you.”

            Stephen stood after him, “My brothers and sisters and I will take to the skies. We will stay in our hawk form and watch over the house. We will keep clear of any cloud over that may roll in, just in case it is another attack. We will not let anything come in from above us.”

            “Okay, as for the rest of us, we should just continue with our day. Don’t focus on their increased abilities. Don’t cause yourself unnecessary stress. If something happens, we will be alerted immediately.” John continued. “We are under no immediate danger, and as of right now, we are not under attack, so we should just enjoy the day.”

            Everyone agreed and left the room. Cyrus and his men ran in haste, turning into their fox forms, and took to the perimeter of the house. Immediately after them, Stephan and the other hawks took to the skies.

A Better Understanding

            It was late afternoon by now and I was sitting in my room playing with the water in my glass. Watching it go up and down, side to side, as I gestured it to do so with my finger. I was slightly bored, and Jess was playing poker with some of the other guys. I figured I would let him have some guy time, and I would read a book or listen to some music. Water seemed to be more entertaining to me. Dad walked in the room and threw off my concentration.

            “Hey, hun, are you busy? I wanted to talk to you about some things.”

            “Hey, dad. No, I’m not busy, what’s up?”

            He smiled at me for a second. “Well, your mother and I want to talk to you about everything. We feel like we owe you an explanation for a lot of this.”

            I shrugged at him. “Yeah, I guess so.”

            “Okay, well let’s go. We are going to go for a walk down to our favorite restaurant for dinner.”

            I changed my clothes and went to meet them down stairs and we were off. We walked for a while before my dad decided to start talking, but I felt like it would have been rude if I asked him to speak up. So, I just waited patiently and admired everything around me. The skies were a little cloudy, but not the dark clouds we had seen the night before; just your regular fluffy clouds. The air had a slight chill to it, and the sun was setting. It was a relatively calm, enjoyable night.

            My dad grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze. “I bet you are wondering why we didn’t tell you about all of this when you were growing up, aren’t you?”

            I thought about it for a second, “Well, I guess I hadn’t really put much thought into it, but now that you mention it…”

            “When your mom and I first met, we knew we were going to be together for the rest of our lives. Our powers though, they weren’t like the powers of other people. We are strong, and being able to manipulate earth and water the way we do is a difficult task. Once we were married, there was a lot of talk about if we had a child. People were wondering what type of abilities this child, you, would have. They have seen our kind marry someone with better and stronger powers than them, but never two people with equally strong and rare abilities. So they knew that, if we did have a child, it was going to be strong; stronger than any of them. That was a scary thought, and that is why we moved out of the mansion, and out to Montana when were knew we were expecting a child.”

            “Oh,” I murmured.

            “We wanted you to have a normal life, or at least, as normal as we could provide for you and that meant not using our powers around you. We didn’t want you to have try and use your abilities until they were developing on their own. Over the last few weeks before we ended up back here, we knew that they were starting to develop. You would talk in your sleep about fighting against this person and that person. And a few times we caught you walking in your sleep and moving things around the house with your mind. You were sleeping of course, so we didn’t want to wake you, but we knew it would be okay for us to leave if something happen.”

            “Was I really?” I laughed, feeling amused.

            “Well, just after all of that started happening, we heard rumors that the Contagium was growing in numbers. That was when Jess met up with us and explained to us what was happening with his parents. You see, Emma, his parents knew about you, but they also knew that you did not know about your powers. And they thought, if you never knew about them, then you would never try and use them in your everyday life. They didn’t see you as a threat, or at least not one that they had to deal with yet. What they did know is that, had you been developing them, then we would soon tell you about them. That was why their task was to kill your mother and me.”

            I clenched me teeth and shuttered at the thought.

            “Your mother and I needed you to believe that we had died. We needed you to think that we were dead, and we needed you to express those thoughts to his parents in their final moments. We wanted to keep you safe as long as we could, and we knew that Jess would get you safely to us. Because your gifts and talents were not yet developed, you could not keep them from your mind. We, on the other hand, could do that. So they were unaware of what we were doing to keep you safe. And they did not know that you had already begun using your powers without knowing it.”

            “Oh, okay. I see.”

            “Jess was a big help for us throughout your life, and he protected you. He has loved you for a really long time, Emma, and we knew he would always keep you safe. Jess first met you when you were about three years old. We came back here for a week, to get a few things we had left behind and just to say hello to a few friends. You probably don’t remember. We knew we couldn’t stay here too long though, because the Contagium is always relatively close to this area, and we didn’t want to put you in any danger. Jess came by with his parents, and it was in his eyes at the moment he saw you. He was in awe of you. You were just a little kid, but he immediately knew you were destined to be together, once you were older, and until then, he swore to himself to protect you and keep you safe from any harm.”

            “Yeah, I do feel oddly connected to him.” I smiled thinking about the other night and the comfort of being in his arms.

            “As you should. We are all only meant to be with one person, and for you that person is Jess. The picture on your bedroom door, the one with the girl on the swing, is you and Jess in the one pushing it behind you. That was our last day here and that picture was taken by your mother. She gave it to our house keeper and told them to have it carved into the door. You were so full of laughter that day, and so full of joy. I’m sorry you don’t remember that day. Jess would love it if you did.”

            “I thought Jess looked as if he were remembering something when he saw that on my door.” I replied.

            “Now then, Jess has helped you with some of your powers, and you have gotten very good at manipulating water and elements of the earth. You are strong, and you have taken it upon yourself to develop that skill. Speed comes somewhat naturally to all of us, but you have a few other abilities too. You will eventually be able to speak to people in their minds, just as Jess does, and you will be able to take control of others emotions as well. That one will be a little bit harder, and the effects only last a little while, but it is extremely helpful in the crucial times of a fight. You can make people feel guilty for the actions, sad about what they are doing, angry, happy, or anything else you choose. Your gifts are inherited through your mother and I, and though the long line of Demigods that we descend from.”

            “So, I kind of inherited a little bit from everyone?” I smiled feeling proud of myself.

            “Yeah, something like that. But we wanted you to have a semi-normal life before you had to go through all of these changes.”

            “Thank you. I appreciate it. So, does that mean that I am more powerful than you guys?” I laughed at the thought.

            “Now, now, don’t get a big head.” Dad started to say.

            My mom cut him off, “Yes, don’t listen to him.” She smiled and she nudged my dad with his elbow. “You have abilities that surpass everyone in this house. You are one of a kind, kiddo.”

            Just as we finished talking we were reaching town. We laughed with each other for a bit joking about me being stronger than they are and then we walked up to the restaurant. “The Macaroni Grill” I laughed and looked at my dad as I read the sign out loud.

            My dad shrugged, “What? Just because we are different, doesn’t mean we have to eat like we are. I love this place!”

            My mom and I looked at him and laughed and then walked inside.

            We were seated in about twenty minutes and then I couldn’t help but ask my dad the question that had been looming over my head. “So, dad, you said the Contagium is a lot stronger than they used to be. What does that mean for us? Do they have a chance at defeating us? Are we going to lose a lot of lives? I don’t want to lose you guys, or Jess, or anyone for that matter.”

            My dad took a deep breath and sighed, and my mom put her hand on mine and gave it a little squeeze. “Emma, hunny, there is always the risk that people will be lost in battle, and I didn’t mean to frighten you by saying that they have grown in power and numbers, but there is still far greater power and numbers with us than there is with them. They are strong, but we are stronger. And with you, they do not know what they are in for. We will all be okay. We have one with the ability to heal the injured, and if anyone is hurt during battle, Lucas will do everything he can to heal them before they get worse. Everything will be okay. “

            My mom turned my face towards hers and smiled at me. “There is always going to be good versus evil in the world, love, and when have you ever heard about evil winning? They may get a hand in there, but they have not won yet, and they are not going to now. Pretty soon this will all be behind us.”

            “Thanks mom. Thanks dad. I guess I shouldn’t worry so much.” I look took a sip of my tea.

            Our food came out and we ate. I had the standard, Macaroni. My dad got some type of grilled chicken and my mom ordered spaghetti. It was a good dinner, but I was more distracted trying to get in my parents minds with my newly learned talent to really focus on my food. Apparently I hadn’t acquired that one yet, because my attempts were worthless.

            We finished eating and walked back to the house. It was a good evening, and I enjoyed being able to spend some time with my parents. I was, however eager to see my Jess. I couldn’t help but smile to myself when I thought of him that way. He was mine, and that was something that would never change. I let my mind wander off in thought.

            We reached the house and I kissed my mom and dad both good night and thanked them for dinner and for explaining everything and then I headed up to my room. I wasn’t sure if I was going to see Jess, but I was hoping he would come and say good night to me. Just as I was getting done washing my face and brushing my teeth I heard a little knock at my door. I felt my heart jump and I walked over to it. I opened it and Jess was standing on the other side of the door, with is beautiful smile and perfect posture.

            “Hey, Emma. Are you going to bed?”

            “I’m getting ready too. Come in though.” I smiled at him.

            “Okay, but not for too long. I don’t want to keep you up.” He grinned.

            I finished up in the bathroom and put my tooth brush and things away and then went over to my bed. We sat there for a while and he held me in his arms while repeating the quote that was above my door. “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death.” He said with so much serenity in his voice.

            “I choose that scripture verse to go over the door, you know”

            I looked over my shoulder at him, “I didn’t know that. I love it. It is a beautiful verse. I read it over and over again when I first saw it. Why did you choose that?”

            He closed his eyes for a second. “That image on the door, as your parents may have told you, is you and I, and I have always known we would be together. I knew that the only thing that would ever get in the way of that happening was going to be death. You mean everything to me, Emma, you are my life, and before you were a part of my life in this way, you were the person I would protect with my whole being. I knew I wanted that scripture because I knew my love for you was as strong as death.”

            I was speechless and I just looked up at him and smiled. He looked back at me, and held my gaze for a while. I couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes. He was so handsome. He smoothed his hand down my hair and across my cheek down to my chin. He tilted my face up slightly and his eyes glanced downward to my lips. I could feel my heart racing a little bit, but I couldn’t, and didn’t want to look away from his beautiful eyes. I could feel the heat emitting from his face and he leaned in closer to mine and I felt as if my heart might explode it was beating so quickly. He tilted my head upward just the slightest bit more and I closed my eyes. A few moments later our lips met. His lips were warm and gentle against mine, and I loved the feeling. He kissed me for what seemed like it did not last long enough, but it had probably been longer than I realized. He let his lips linger close to mine before pulling away. I could feel the heat of his breath against my lips and I loved it. He moved his hand from under my chin and ran his fingers down my arm again, going back to holding me. I opened my eyes and we both smiled at each other while I cuddled back up to his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

            It was getting late, and he could tell that I was tired. He kissed me on the forehead. “Stay here, Love, I am going to let you sleep now. I will see you in the morning.” He smiled.

            “Okay. Thank you for staying with me for a while. Sleep well.”

            “Good night, Emma.”

Group Training

            I woke up late the next morning and I didn’t really want to get out of bed. I guess staying up late probably wasn’t the best idea, but I didn’t exactly regret it. I heard everyone downstairs eating. It seemed to be everyone’s favorite parts of the day. Now that I was thinking about it, I was pretty hungry. I got up and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt and went down stairs.

            Everyone was gathered around the dining room table and eating as if this was the only meal they were going to get for the rest of the day.  Cyrus and his clan were on the left side of the table making the most noise. They were always the most energetic in the morning I was noticing.

            “Eat up, Emma, you are going to need your energy today” Lucus announced while pointing towards the food.

            “What are we doing today?” I said while yawning and stretching.

            “TRAINING!” I heard Cyrus shout. I turned to see the exciting expression on his face.

            “Don’t you guys already know what you are capable of? Wouldn’t anything else just be considered practicing?” I inquired.

            “Oh we are practicing on improving our skills, dear, but you are the one who is going to be training. You have to work on your skills of the mind and a few other things. It is going to be an exhausting day for you.” Peter smiled at me.

            “Can’t wait.” I murmured.

            After everyone got done eating we all went back to the park where Jess and I had been the other day and then they all started pairing off to work on different abilities and to test each other’s strengths.

Kirstina was watching the wolves challenge each other and fight against whoever won the previous match. She was watching them go from their human form to the wolf form and then back in mid fight. It was such an astonishing sight to see. She was freezing them mid fight, which would ultimately give the contender the upper hand, which during this particular fight was Cassandra. She was fighting against Thomas and just as Thomas had transformed his muscular, manly figure into that of a furry, beautiful and extravagantly large wolf, Kirstina froze him. It only lasted a matter of seconds, but it took Cassandra less time than that to have him pinned on the ground and her teeth around his neck. He was stuck, and he knew that he lost. Kirstina continued this for a while, trying to make her strength come back to her sooner after every use.

            I watch the foxes fight as men, with swords and whatever else they materialized. I saw Ivan using a branch that Lance had ripped off a tree for him when he lost his sword during a battle with Jamie.

            Before I could watch anyone else, Justice approached me. He was wearing a simple pair of cargo shorts and a button up t-shirt, but he had a charming smile. “Hey, Emma, I know that you have been told that you have the ability to speak to people through their minds, like Jess, but I want to try something with you. It isn’t often that someone has the abilities that you have, and I would like to see if we can advance them just a little bit further. Most of the skills that you have are involved with the mind and it seems logical to me that you should be able to make people see visions in the same way that I do, since your mind is as advanced as it is.”

            “Hmm.” I laughed. “I guess it’s worth a try.”

            “Okay, well I have the ability to actually see what people have been through in their lives, and I send the visions that only they would know, but I am going to try and get you to take this one step at a time.”

“Okay.”

            “Think about someone here that you know well. Be it your mom, your dad, or Jess, it doesn’t matter who you choose. Think of a memory of one of them; something that would be special to them.  Put your focus on that memory for a minute until you have it solidly in your mind.”

            I thought back for a minute, trying to think of something that was sentimental to both my parents and myself. I remembered a day that we all spent together when I was seven years old. I was always eager to do new things, and I loved adventures. We were sitting in the car and my dad was driving. I didn’t know where we were going, but I knew it was going to be fun. My mom seemed pretty excited about it too. When we got to our assumed destination I was looking around at all the fields and animals. There were sheep and cows, goats and pigs, and just off to the left there was a stable with the most beautiful horses I had ever seen. I looked up at my dad with eyes full of excitement as I noticed that he was looking at the horses as well.

            My mom was the first one to walk over to them and I followed her. The farm house was small and quaint. The barn seemed to be bigger than the house itself which I thought was kind of funny. As we approached the horses a man walked out of the little house and approached us. He looked like your typical farmer. He was wearing a plaid shirt and overalls. He was even chewing on a piece of straw. My dad walked over towards him and shook his hand. “Hey Bill.” He smiled.

            “Hey John, how are ya?” The man replied.

            “I’m good. This is my daughter, Emma, and you already know my wife, Kate.”

            “Well it’s very nice to meet you, Emma, and it’s good to see you again, Kate.”

            The man, Bill, turned his attention back towards my dad. “Well, you can ride any of them that you want. They are all tame. There are bridles and harnesses in the barn just over there. I’m sure you remember how to get them on and ready to ride. Just let me know if you have any questions. I have to feed some of the other guys before they get restless. So I’ll be around.”

            “Okay, sounds good.” My dad smiled excitedly and then walked over to me and picked me up, putting me on his shoulders.

            “I get to ride one, daddy?” I eagerly asked.

            “Whichever one you want, hun.”

            “I want to ride the spotted one!” I announced pointing back at it.

We walked over to the barn and got the riding equipment and my dad strapped in on the horses that we were going to ride. My dad placed me on the spotted one, whose name was Misty, and I waiting for him and my mom to get on their horses. My mom was riding a solid black one. He was handsome, and his name was Storm. His mane was long and he looked very silky in the light of the sun. She had a little trouble getting up on him and I giggled a little bit. My dad was riding an auburn brownish one with a few white splotches on it. She was pretty too and her name was Jasmine. She was the youngest of them all, and it was a noticeable difference in their excitement and energy level.

            Once we were all on our horses my dad took the lead. We rode and a slow walking pace and he took us out passed some trees, down to a trail. We kept going for a while just enjoying the sun coming down on us and the cool breeze. I had never ridden a horse before, and it was the most exciting experience I had ever had. I loved spending time with my parents like this. I was a spoiled child. My mom seemed to be enjoying it the most, as she had grown up with horses when she was a child. My dad was riding beside her, hold her hand while the horses walked closely together.

            “Do you have the memory?” I was distracted by the sound if Justice’s voice.

            “Oh! You startled me. Yes, I have it.” I laughed.

            Okay, now I want you to focus on one of your parents. Your mom or your dad, and picture the images of the memory in your head. Close your eyes and try and communicate them with your mom or you dad, in a sense. Try and get in tune with their minds and get them to see what you are thinking.”

            I doubted the possibility for a second, but decided to give it a try. I closed my eyes and I replayed the whole scene again in my head. It was such a good memory. I looked up at my mom and put my focus more on her while the memory was shifted more towards the back of my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to remember every detail of the day that would have been special to her. I pictured my dad holding her hand, and the joy she had in her eyes. I looked up at my mom and kept that image in my head. I felt like my eyes were staring straight through her. Then, all of a sudden, she looked up at me and her eyes met my gaze, with the same joy that she had in them that very day at the farm.

            I loved that day.

            I took a step back, startled, and I looked at Justice. “Did you hear that?”

            “Hear what?”

            “I didn’t think so,” I retorted. “She didn’t actually talk. Does my mom have the same ability as Jess? Being able to communicate through people’s minds?”

            I wish everything was simple again. It was so easy then. Not dangerous. Just…simple.

            I guess it’s okay. Jess is good for Emma. John is happy. I love this house…

That was when I realized I wasn’t hearing what she was trying to make me hear. I was hearing her thoughts. I stood there, dumbfounded and at a complete loss for words. I looked back at Justice, and it seemed that he had the same realization that I had. “That is amazing.” He stared bemused.

            “I have always known that you would be strong, and have abilities beyond ours, just simply because of your genetic makeup, but I have never seen someone who could read other’s thoughts.”

            I turned my attention to my dad and tried to focus more on him.

            This is going to be an easy fight. Everyone here is so skilled and so loyal. I’ve missed this community of people.

            At this point John was sitting in the grass just taking in everybody training and working with each other. At least he saw the hope in this whole situation. What I was realizing was that I could only hear one person at a time. I had to want to hear them and I had to focus on only them. It was still pretty sweet, as far as strange abilities go.

            Everyone around us continued to fight and challenge each other when we heard it. There was a sudden sound in the distance. It sounded like people were running, and it was far greater than one person. They were coming directly towards us. Stephen took to his hawk form and went to the skies. He was back in a matter of minutes and at my father’s side. “They’re coming. It’s time.” He stared at my dad.

            “Okay, everyone, this is what we have been expecting. We knew they wouldn’t wait for us to come to them. They have grown. This attack was expected. Everyone, we need to prepare for battle.”

First Battle

            Everyone was running in this direction at that direction. Men were grabbing armor and the women were right behind them. My dad came out of the house and was at my side. He grabbed my hands. “Okay, hunny, this is what we have been waiting for. I need you to stay focused. Use your mind, and use your skills. Don’t let anyone get near you, Emma. Everyone is going to keep you safe. Just don’t panic.”

            We were all gathering close together, forming a sort of line. The animals were in the front, already taken to their non-human form, and the men were behind them. All the women were in the back behind the men, as I assumed made the men more comfortable with letting us fight. They were all so over protective.

            The sounded of the Contagium coming towards us was getting louder and it was almost as if the ground itself was shaking beneath us. The sun was bright in the sky and it was roughly passed two-thirty in the afternoon. At least it wasn’t going to be dark out here any time soon. Just through the tress we could see them coming towards us. They all had the ugliest and angriest features. Their faces were hard and the only emotion that they put off was hatred. They were here to kill, and that was their only intent.

            The started to race towards us and our brave beasts were running towards them in a flash. The distance between them was immense, but they seemed to close the gap in a matter of seconds. Dante was the first one to make contact with one of them. It was a taller man, black eyes, and dark features. Dante was on him before he knew what was happening. I had to look away. I couldn’t bear to see how easily Dante brought his life to an end.

            There was so many of them. We hadn’t expected this, or at least, I had expected it. The animals all continued to fight and they were winning every time. It wasn’t a challenge for as fox to destroy a weaponless man or woman. The hawks were in the skies tending to the large black birds that the woman my dad had seen was drawing. Just as I thought it was going to be easy, I got a glance at the line of fighters behind the first attackers of the Contagium. They had weapons. Swords, sticks, knives; I was just glad that there were no guns. Apparently we didn’t need them, and they didn’t feel that they would either.

            Lance ran towards them, and he was clearing trying to find a way for him to deal with all their ways of harming us. He ran to the first woman who had a large stick in her hand. It was the size of a walking stick and it was thick. She swung it at him and he ducked to dodge her forceful swing. Just as she went to bring it back over her shoulder to swing it again he put his arm out and caught it. It was easy for him, at that point, to rip it from her hand. He took one swing with it and she was sent a hundred yards in the opposite direction. I assumed she wouldn’t be walking again for a while. He had a weapon now, and a better way to attack them with their weapons in hand.

            Lance started to spin the thick piece of wood around in circles while they were all charging towards him. He knocked the first three of them to the ground in a matter of seconds. A couple go past him and my dad and Jess were on the move.

            Jess had nothing to fight them off with. As they were running towards them a branch broke off a tree about twenty yards out and flew straight into Jess’ hands. He looked at my dad with gratitude and they continued to move forward.

            I was standing to the left of where Jess had run from. The numbers that the Contagium had was great, and I wasn’t expecting it. The battle continued and they were beginning to close in around us, even as we took them out with a pace far greater than their own. I felt all their black eyes on me as they were inching closer and closer. I was too scared to think as I realized that all of my friends and protectors had taken to the battle and I was, more or less, alone. I wasn’t sure if there was anyone really watching out for me, and I began to feel a shiver down my spine. Their numbers were much larger than ours.

            I couldn’t focus, and I knew that I should try and use my abilities to keep myself safe, but I couldn’t think. I kept feeling their eyes on me and before I knew what was happening I felt my feet moving beneath me. I was running away from the battle, out of sheer fear, even though I knew that wasn’t the best idea. I heard the fight happening behind me as I continued to move. I turned my focus ahead of me now and I realized I was out in the trees. I didn’t feel any safer under their shade and I still felt as if I was being watched. I turned my head to see that I was being watched, and I was being followed. There were four of them right of my tail. I didn’t know what to do and I froze exactly where I stood. They moved closer to me, their eyes never changing. I looked away in time to make eye contact with Jess. He looked at me with so much fear and so much love in his eyes.

            Emma! Run! Use your abilities! Don’t let them touch you!

            It was too late. The first one to grab my arm was tall and pale, as if she hadn’t been in the sun in years. Her eyes were jet black and her hair was the same. She grabbed my arm and I lost my train of thought. I saw myself in a lighted room, and completely at ease. I couldn’t remember who I was, and what I was doing. I was lost, but I didn’t feel any pain, or any desire to run from her. I was not afraid. I was just focused of the vision before me. I felt safe in the midst of my confusion. I suddenly felt another hand grip my arm and then two others. I had lost all sense of escape and self preservation. I was more than okay with letting them lead me where ever they wanted me to go. And so they did.

            We walked for what seemed like miles, never ceasing to feel the touch of the hands against my skin.  They were whispering to me and it seemed like they were trying to remind me of who I was and what my purpose was.

            “Your powers and strengths are great, Emma, and you will be able to advance them far beyond what you can imagine. You like power, don’t you? They are all holding you back. You know this. You felt it. We are here to help you. We are here to make your powers stronger and to bring to surface every drop of strength that you have. They were not going to let you live up to your full potential, but we will. We want you to be able to do that. Trust us, Emma. We will give you everything you could ever dream of.”

            We walked until we reached the part of town I had been walking though with my parents. About three blocks passed the restaurant we dined at we turned left on a street whose name I cannot remember. We walked and then made one more left. About fifteen paces further and we turned into what looked like an old warehouse. It was a large building, made of thick cement. There was one door that the girl leading us pulled open. We walked in and then turned to the right and headed down a flight of stairs. The room we were headed towards was dark, and seemed very unwelcoming.  At the bottom of the stairs was the small room. It was dimly lit by a little light that was in the corner of the right had wall. I could hardly see anything.

            They lifted me up and set me on what I would assume was a bed, but it was hard, and cold; apparently made of metal. I felt one of the hands remove itself from my arm, while the others remained. The girl that released her grasp on me walked back of the stairs, only to return a minute later. I was completely unaware of what was happening. I felt a small pin prick in my arm and I started to feel light headed. The room began to spin and I tried to focus my eyes on what was standing before me; on who was standing before me. Everything went black.

The Contagium

            I woke up alone. The room was dark and the smell of moisture in the air reminded me of the smell of fresh mud. The air was thick, and I could almost feel the water in it when I breathed in deeply. I looked from side to side, but all I could see were the cement walls around me. There was no one there, but my head felt dizzy. I wasn’t sure where I was. I didn’t feel as if I was in danger, but I didn’t feel safe either. I needed to get to somewhere better lighted. I need to figure out where I was and what I was going. I moved my hand first, but my attempt was proved futile. It was stuck. I glanced down at my hand only to discover it was being restrained by metal straps. One was by my wrist, and the other just at my elbow, preventing me to bend my arm even in the slightest motion. They were tight and restricting. I looked at my other arm, just to see the same result. I began to panic and tried to move my legs. They were strapped down just as forcefully, only there were three straps around my legs instead of just two. I started to realize I might be in a greater danger than I had first concluded.

            My limbs felt tight and my heart began to race. I wasn’t sure how long I had been here and I didn’t know where I was before this.

            “Hi, Emma.” I heard a voice say.

            It was in that moment that I realized I wasn’t alone. There was someone here with me. It was a girl, by the sound of her voice. She was sitting directly behind my head, and I hadn’t noticed her before. He hand was lightly sitting on my shoulder. Her eyes were so dark. Her hair was a deep shade of brown. It was long and straight. She was staring at me.

            “Who are you!?” I demanded. “Why are you doing this? Let me go.”

            “Take it easy, Emma. You are fine where you are. I am not going to hurt you. I need you to relax, you are going to pull the tubes out of your arm if you keep trying to move like this.”

            I looked down at my arm, only to see the IV attached right at the bend in my arm. “What is that for? Where am I? Let me go!”

            “You have been here for a while, Emma. I’m sorry we had to put you under like that. We have been keeping you fed though. That is what the IV was for. I guess we don’t really need it now, but you have been asleep for about three weeks.” Her voice was so calm, it was almost as if she was trying to soothe me.

            I never failed to notice that she always kept her hand on my shoulder. I knew this should be familiar to me somehow, but I didn’t understand anything that was happening. The last thing I remember was my parents dying in that car accident and…Jess. I remembered Jess. He saved me. Didn’t he?

            “I know you are scared, Emma, but I need you to listen to me and to trust me. I am a friend, and I am here to help you. We found you, a long time ago with John and Kate. We had to kill them to save you, Emma. They were not your parents. Your parents are here with us. They took you from us a very long time ago. They raised you as their own, using their abilities to keep us from you. They had that boy, Jess, keeping guard at all times so we could not reach you. You are very powerful, child, and we want to help you. We want to show you just how powerful you are. They were holding you back. You felt that didn’t you?” Her voice was so smooth. As if she had been planning what she was going to say to me for a long time.

            Everything started to flash in my mind. I remembered the house and my parents. I remembered the animals and all the other people. I remembered Jess and the plane ride. I remembered the stories that he told me about who I was and what our purpose was. For some reason my memories seemed vague though. I didn’t feel anything sentimental about what I was seeing. I felt angry. I felt as if I had been lied too. I felt so confused. In my mind I was convincing myself that they had all lied to me, but in my heart I felt torn. I loved Jess, hadn’t I? This felt wrong.

            “Jess was my friend.” Was all I could get myself to say to her.

            Her eyes were powerful in the way that they looked at me. Almost controlling my thoughts. I didn’t want to think something she would be disapproving of. I felt as if she was in my mind, seeing my doubts and getting angry about them.

            “Jess was not your friend. I know that it seems that way,” She brushed the hair out of my face with her free hand, “But he was lying to you. He wanted you to believe that you were doing what was what and what was good. They are not trying to keep anyone safe. They are hurting people and they are going to continue to do so, unless we do something to stop them. They were training you and planning to use you to hurt people just as they have been. You were going to be their strongest weapon.”

            I laid there dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to say. I suddenly turned my focus back on the restraints. “If you are not trying to hurt me, then why I am tied down like this? Let me free!”

            “I am sorry about that. It wasn’t my choice, but you we weren’t sure how you were going to react, and like I said, you are very powerful. We couldn’t have you trying to hurt someone. We can free you, if you promise to be calm and listen to us. We are not here you hurt you, Emma. We are just glad that we finally got you back.”

            “I won’t go anywhere. Just let me go.”

            She loosened the straps and I slowly got up. My joints were stiff and it was that which made me realize I really had been laying there for a while. I stretched and tried to ease the tension that was throughout my entire back. I took a deep breath and sighed in complete confusion. She moved her hand slowly down my arm, never losing contact with me, and brought it down to my hand, grabbing it lightly.

            “Now, Emma, I know this is a lot to take in, but you are safe here. We want to show you just how powerful you are. Do you want to understand what they were holding you back from being able to do?”

            I still felt confused, but I couldn’t help but feel like she was being honest with me. I felt drawn to her somehow. And if I really was as powerful as she was making me sound, then why would I not want to see it for myself?

            “Sure.” I mumbled quietly.

            She helped me stand to my feet, keeping her hand in mine. She moved it up to my arm and led me up a flight of stairs. I couldn’t help but notice that it wasn’t the same direction I vaguely remembered entering this room from.  “Why are we going this way?” I asked.

            “It is just another way out. It leads to the inside of the building. We are in the basement right now. We don’t need to go outside though, not yet.”

            “Oh.”

            We walked up the stairs to a little wooden door. She opened it and it creaked with old age. We walked through an old worn down kitchen. The cabinets were made of a cheap kind of wood and the color was a pale white. There were chips in the paint and you could see the wood underneath it. The floor was fake tile, the kind you just glue on top of cement. We walked through the small kitchen and into what appeared to be the living room. There was one couch and a small television. The couch was a forest green color with a few stains on it and the carpet was dark brown and worn in a few places. I couldn’t help but realize how much this house was hideous compared to where I had been staying.

We started to walk up another flight of stairs and we stopped mid way up. She turned to me. “We are going to be going into a room with a handful of other people. I want you to use your powers. I want you to get into their heads. It is your ability to be able to see what people are planning, what they are thinking. When you use that, we can understand what the enemy is going to do before the do it. Through you understanding and communicating back with us, we will always have the upper hand. So I want you to see what you can get from them.”

            We hadn’t even gotten to the room when I already heard them. I wasn’t sure if I was hearing them talk, or if I was just hearing their thoughts.

            “This is too risky.” I heard one of them say.

            “She is going to be our strongest fighter. This is going to work.”

            I couldn’t help but wonder if they were meaning it was going to work to trick me, or if it was going to work to win me back. Everything was such a blur. It was only when we walked in the room that I realized they weren’t speaking. I was reading their thoughts. It made me feel so strong; like I was always going to have the upper hand.

            There were five girls sitting in the room all keeping to themselves. They all had the same disheveled look on their faces. It was almost as if they had been awake for days with absolutely no sleep. Their hair was unkempt and they had dark circles under their eyes. They were all just sitting their quietly.

            The girl sitting in the far left corner of the room was in a dirty yellowish chair. She had blonde hair. It was longer than mine and just slightly past the middle of her back. She had a very pale complexion, and she was looking directly at me. I turned my focus towards her and met her green eyes.

            She’s probably not that great. What powers does she have that make her so special? Why does she keep staring at me like I am supposed to talk to her or something?

            I looked away quickly as she thought that. I didn’t want to bother anyone.

            I turned my focus to the smaller figured girl sitting in the middle of the room on the couch. She looked as if she was no older than seventeen and she was short. She was about five feet two inches tall, petite and delicate looking. She had light brown hair, and didn’t look quite and torn up as the other ones were. She smiled at me slightly and then the girl sitting across from her on the couch placed her hand on the small girls shoulder and her smile dissipated.

            She’s so young. This isn’t a good idea. She is going to like Matthew. She better not like him. He’s mine. I don’t want her here. But she looks nice enough.

            I smiled at her, trying to take into consideration that her thoughts were so conflicting. I wondered who Matthew was. I hadn’t seen any guys here yet, I was beginning to think there weren’t any. My head was spinning and I needed to sit down. I turned and walked over to the chair by the old door and I sat down for a minute.

            The girl that led me up to the room grabbed my hand and looked at me.

            “Okay, Emma, I know you are confused, but everything will be clear soon enough. My name is Marie. The girl sitting on the couch is Sarah, and the one to the left is Christi. The other girls are Ashley, Justine, and Jennifer.” She said while pointing to them for a kind of introduction. “They are all very nice, but just weary of having new people around. They will ease up the tension soon enough.”  And she glanced back at the all as if that was more directed to them than to me.

            We walked out of the room and back down the stairs. I just continued to let her lead the way until we made it outside. It was dark out, and there were a lot of clouds over head. Marie finally took her hand off of mine and told me to start practicing my abilities. Move the trees, move the dirt, move the water, and whatever else I could get my mind around.

            I got into the control of everything and I was enjoying myself thoroughly. I kept practicing for about an hour when I was suddenly startled by how cold it had gotten. The breeze was picking up and the chill in it was almost unbearable. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself starting to shiver. I looked back over my shoulder to see if Marie had noticed, and she was staring straight at me. Her eyes were white, almost as if they had no pupils. And she was staring straight through me. I couldn’t look away from her. I began to hear whispering, but I couldn’t make out anything that was being said.

            The clouds got darker and darker until they were the deepest shade of black I had ever seen. I managed to pull my eyes away from Marie for a second to look directly in front of me. The girls that were in the room were there now too, coming from the opposite side of the yard. They were accompanied by a larger group of men. There were at least ten of them, and a few more girls than I recognized as well. They were all walking slowly towards me, their eyes just as pale as Marie’s. They were dressed casually, but in bland colors. Grey, black, pale white, brown. And they were all whispering; their eyes never veering away from me. I felt them all closing in around me, and I knew that there were more people joining up with Marie at this point, but I was too frightened to look towards her. I felt paralyzed. I sank to the ground and lay there, completely unable to move out of my fetal position.

            I closed my eyes and started to feel their hands all around me, coming closer and closer with every second. The first hand touched my calf, and then the rest came against my skin briefly after. I suddenly started to see flashes of the people at my old house, my mom, my dad, Jess. All the people I had thought loved me. I heard them talking about me. They were happy I was gone. They didn’t love me.  Jess was with someone else. Another girl. Why was I seeing this?

            “Stop.” Was all I could manage to spit out.

            “Jess never loved you. Those are not your parents. They never wanted you. They just wanted to take advantage of you. Love makes us weak. It blinds us to what is real. We can never live to our full potential if we waste our lives trying to make everyone else happy. All the people that we think we love.”

            The word “love” came out with so much hated, so much malice.

            “Think about all the times these people have hurt you. They never loved you. If they loved you, why would they have let you believe they died? Why would Jess tell you to stop using your powers the way that YOU wanted to use them? They were holding you back. You don’t love them. You never loved them. Love is not real. It never was, and it never will be. Do you understand this, Emma?”

            “I…I…d…don’t lo…love th…”

            “That’s right, Emma. Just say it. You don’t love them. You don’t love. Love isn’t real. They are nothing. They mean nothing.” The whispers kept repeating this to me.

            “Love isn’t real, Emma. Love isn’t real. Love isn’t real.”

            I opened my eyes, and I couldn’t see anything. There was nothing but blackness all around me. I could feel all their hands on me. “Love isn’t real.” Was all I could hear myself say. It was repeating so forcefully in my mind. I closed my eyes and the whispers stopped. I felt myself getting weak under their touch. But for some reason, I didn’t want them to leave.

            I started to see myself with so much power. Destroying everyone who hurt me. All the things they were doing to hold me back, all the lies they were telling. All the manipulation. I would make them pay for all of it. I could see so much of what I was capable of, and I was relishing in it. My mind started to feel overwhelmingly tired and I let the exhaustion over take me. Everything I was seeing slowly faded to black.

Meeting in the Alley

            I woke up the next morning in a little bedroom. There was nothing in the room besides the bed I was on and a little television sitting against the wall in front of me. It didn’t even look like it would work if I tried to turn it on. For once my mind wasn’t racing. I felt that I belonged here. Everything they were telling me was the truth. Love was an illusion, and I had been played for a fool my whole life. I didn’t even really know those people. I had been manipulated. But were they going to be looking for me? What was I going to say to them if they found me? Would I have to use my abilities to keep them away from me? I would do that. I could do that. I hated them.

            I went down stairs and saw Marie sitting at the kitchen table picking apart a croissant. She rose to her feet and walked over to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

            “We have some business to take care of today. Jess is looking for you. You need to get rid of him. He is going to be in the alley tonight and we are going to meet him there. You need to take care of him.”

            I didn’t know what I was feeling but I knew she was right. “Okay,” I said, “I can do that.”

            The day went on and I was trying to imagine what was going to happen that night. I didn’t have much of an appetite. I felt like, even though he had been lying to me, and I didn’t believe in love, I still felt some sort of connection to him. I chalked it up to just feeling nervous and tried to distract myself with mindless activities as the hours passed. To my surprise the TV did work, but the channels were all fuzzy. I ended up watching a Gilmore Girls marathon and wondered if Rory would ever end up getting back with Dean, while I anticipated Luke and Lorelei finally getting together. I guess deep down I was just a girl. I shook the feelings off when I looked at the time and realized it was just past seven PM.

            I was about to go find Marie when the door opened and she walked in. “Are you ready?”

            “Yeah, sure, let’s go.”

            We left the house and she had her arm linked with mind again. My thoughts were so much more focused when she was with me. There were a few other girls with us, but I wasn’t really focused on who they were. I was more concerned with what was about to come to pass.

            We walked out of the house and down a couple of blocks. We made one right turn straight into an alley. It was getting dark outside and the skies were almost as dark as they were the night before. We went to the end of the alleyway and turned to wait. I assumed he would be here shortly.

            The alley was dirty looking, with garbage on the ground. The buildings around us were made of brick and graffiti marked them all over. I turned my focus toward the road ahead of us and I saw Jess round the corner. There was sadness in his eyes when he looked at me.

            A few things took place all at the same time. Marie placed her hand on my shoulder and began whispering to me the way she was the night before, telling me love wasn’t real and to kill him. She kept telling me to kill Jess. Jess started getting closer to me and tell me that he loved me. He said he had already lost me once, which I assumed was due to me being with them now and not him, and that he didn’t want to lose me again. I knew that they only way to make him stop looking for me would be to kill him. I had to kill him.          

            I felt my heart racing as I told him that I didn’t love him and that I was incapable of that. His eyes welled up with tears and he took another step towards me. The other girls that came with us began to circle around me and place their hands on me. I closed my eyes and I threw myself towards Jess. I heard Marie telling me I was doing well and to break his neck. I closed my eyes and felt my hand’s go around Jess’s head. I heard the break in my mind and, as I heard it, I felt my heart break. I felt the tears streaming down my face. If I didn’t love him, then why was I crying? How could I feel so horrible, so sick and disgusted with myself?

            Before I knew what was happening, I felt myself break away from the circle that had been enclosing me. I ran, I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew that I wasn’t going to turn around. I needed to get out of there. I needed to get away from the scene of my horrific act. I used all the speed I could find and every ounce of strength I had, and I ran.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Marie looked at Jess. “What did you do?!”

            “I didn’t do anything. She loves me. You know she loves me. You can never change that no matter how much you try and manipulate her.”

            “She doesn’t love you. And she thinks you’re dead now anyway. She thinks she killed you. Broke your neck. I should have just let her do it. But the image was real enough for her to believe that she actually did. She’ll probably just end up killing herself now out of remorse.”

            “Your strengths are only so great, Marie. They are not going to last on her. You didn’t expect her to run from you. You underestimated her. She will get her head clear soon enough. I will find her, and there isn’t anything any of you can do about that. I am not the only one looking for her, and you are no match for any of us.”

            “I’ll get her back. She is not going to go with you. She hates you.” Marie turned and walked away.

            Jess ran before they could even pass him, just in case they tried to touch him or hurt him in anyway. He was gone long before they got to the road again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            I continued to run until I reached the mountainside and a place to hide from everyone. I had killed Jess. My mind was spinning again and I didn’t know how to control my own thoughts. I sat against a tree in a lot of grass that looked as if it hadn’t been trimmed in a long time. I felt safe here, or as safe I could be in the woods and night. I sobbed and sobbed trying to erase the image and the sound of Jess’s death from my memory. I was beginning to realize that I did love him. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to, maybe they had been playing games with my mind for all those years, but no matter what happen growing up, and no matter how much they were fooling me, I had loved him. I still did love him, and I killed him. Didn’t I?

            I saw a flash of him still standing there when I started to run away. How could that be? How was he standing there if I killed him? What was it that Jess had told me about the Contagium? Something about them touching me. Something about their way of manipulating my mind. Marie was always touching me, wasn’t she? Had they been the ones playing tricks with my mind? Didn’t he tell me that his parents saw themselves with enough power and control to turn to the Contagium’s side once they touched them? Maybe that had been what was happening. Maybe I hadn’t killed Jess. He could still be okay.

            They thought that he was okay calmed me a little bit and my tears became less intense. I sat there silently for a little while trying to sort everything out in my mind. How could I ever believe that my parents didn’t love me? That Jess didn’t love me? My thoughts were so conflicted, but somehow becoming clearer the longer I was out of their presence. I had to figure out how to get back to Jess and my family, if he was still alive, and if they would forgive me for all my horrible thoughts about them. Not that they would know, but I would, and I wasn’t sure I could forgive myself for feeling so much hatred towards them.

            As the time passed my lids began to get heavy and I let my thoughts run until I drifted off into a deep sleep.

            As I slept I saw myself standing in the open stretch of grass and I saw someone walking towards me. She looked kind and her smile was bright. She was in a beautiful pale blue dress. It was loose and flowing to the ground. As she moved gracefully closer to me I recognized that it was Sam.

            Once she approached me to ran her hand through my hair, as I sat there in the grass against the tree. “Rest, dear one. They are not going to find you hear tonight. You have ran from them, and right now they are too busy trying to figure out how to get you to come back with them. Sleep, but when you wake you must get to Jess. Marie and her friends are going to be looking for you and first light. They are going to go south at first, assuming you are going to be running from everyone and everything out of confusion. Jess is going to go north towards the wood beyond the mountainside. If you want to get back to Jess you need to meet him there.” She placed her hand against my face and I saw myself standing in the wood she was referring to. “Go there, and I promise you, everything is going to be okay. You need to get there swiftly and quietly.”

            She ran her hand through my hair one more time and then lifted my face by my chin to hold my eyes and smile at me. The she turned and walked away just as gracefully as she had come. I slept peacefully as the rest of the hours rolled by. It was almost a dreamless sleep, except for the constant face that I felt looking at me; Jess’s face. I couldn’t shake the image of sadness that he had carried when I saw him in the alley. He was trying to help me, and for all I know I could have killed him. I saw myself do it and the image of that was going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

            I woke up to the sun shining in my eyes the next morning and knew that I had to hurry. For all I knew, I could have over slept and everything was already too late. I had to make it back to Jess.

Finding Emma

            I ran through the trees, trying to ignore the constant rumble in the pit of my stomach. I was so hungry, but I had no time to try and find something to eat. The only thing that mattered was getting back to my family and getting back to the comfort of Jess’s arms. I knew there had to be a trail around somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where and this area wasn’t as familiar to me as I would have liked it to be. I felt like I was already in the woods, but I hadn’t even made it through the mountainside yet.  There were large rocks on the ground that I had to climb over and branches in my way. I almost wished I had taken my mom up on the whole Girl Scout thing as a kid. Maybe that would have made this easier. I wasn’t the biggest on hiking.

            It took me nearly an hour to find the remains of what could have once been a trail. It was hardly a trail anymore at all, but it was a little bit better than walking through trees and rocks. It would have to do. I wished I had a compass. I just knew that the sun was rising in the east, and based off where I saw the North Star last night, this is the way I should be going.

            The trail I was on seemed to get easier as the mountains seemed to be getting smaller on my sides. I could see now that I was making to the end of the mountain side and out into a large wood again. I picked up my pace again, being that I had slowed down a bit on the trail, and I hurried to find the image of where I was standing in my dream last night.

            I saw what looked like where I should be waiting for him and I ran to the tree I thought looked familiar. It had an odd branch sticking out of the trunk, which is the only thing that stood out from the scene in my dream. Now that I was here or at least thought I was here, I couldn’t help but wonder how long I was going to have to wait for my Jess to find me.

            Just as I leaned against the tree I heard some branches break off in the distance, as if someone had stepped on them. My heart leaped at the thought that it was Jess, but my mind reminded me to be cautious and to remember to do whatever I had to do to keep Marie or anyone else from the Contagium away from me.

            Crack, Crack, Crunch.

            I heard them getting closer to me and I gripped the branch sticking out of the tree trunk. I turned to face the direction they were coming from only to meet Jess’s eyes off in the distance.

            “Emma! Is that you?”

            “Jess! Yes, it’s me! I’m so happy you’re here! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean anything I said before!”

            Before I knew what I was doing I was running straight towards him, while he was running towards me as well. We met in the middle and he picked me up in the biggest embrace I had ever had. He spun me around, put me back on my feet, and kissed me. The love I felt between us was stronger than it had ever been in that one kiss. He pulled back just a few inches so he could focus on my eyes. We just stood there for a minute looking at each other. He was so beautiful and his eyes were full of so much love. It almost made me completely forget about the devastated look he carried just the night before.

            “I love you, Emma. I hope you know that is never going to change.”

            “I don’t deserve it. I’m so sorry for the things I said. I love you, too.”

            He smiled at me his kind, genuine smile.”Don’t worry about anything. Forget about all of it. I know how manipulative they are. Anything they made you see or anything they made you feel doesn’t matter. They were trying to control you. I know who you are. I told you I wouldn’t lose you again. Had you not run from them, I would have gotten you back somehow. You were gone with them for so long. It takes a lot of strength to be able to run from them like you did. I am so proud of you, Emma.”

            I took Jess’s hands in my own and kissed the back of his hand lightly. “I don’t deserve you, you know?”

            He took me in his arms and held me. His grip was strong and his arms wrapped around my whole body. I felt consumed in his warmth and love. “You will always deserve whatever it is that you want, Emma. My only hope that is what you want will continue to be me.”

            “I’ll want you as long as you want me.”

            “Then I’ll want you forever.” He brushed my hair behind me ears and kissed my forehead lightly.

            We started to walk back towards the mansion so I could face the rest of my friends and family. It was a long walk, but being with Jess seemed to make it worth it. I didn’t care how long it took us to get back I just never wanted to leave his side. As we walked together I told him about my experience with them, about how they were showing me to use my powers for my own advantage and how easy it was for me to fall into that sense of power and control.

            Jess was accepting of the whole thing and had a way of calming me down and making me feel less guilty for my mistakes in believing them so easily. It was hard for me to understand how I deserved someone so genuine when I was so quick to stray from what he had been trying to show me and teach me.

            It was late afternoon when we finally reached the house. I wasn’t surprised to see the birds circling over head, watching over the grounds, and the wolves around the perimeter. We were safe here, even though I had put myself in the way of harm, I knew that we were safe here.

Returning Home

            When I walked inside I expected to see looks of disappointment on my parent’s faces. I was prepared for them to lecture me about being able to use my powers to fight the Contagium off and to protect myself. But they just ran to me, with open arms and welcomed me home. The love I felt for them was so strong and overwhelming. I didn’t want to ever be away from them again. They were always here to protect me, and now it was going to me my turn to protect them soon. I knew that the Contaguim was going to come back. I knew they were angry that I had gotten away. It was difficult to comprehend us having to fight them again. The rage they had in them was going to be fierce and that frightened me.

            “Welcome home, Emma.” I heard several voices say. Everyone was walking towards the gathering room yet again, and I assumed we had to discuss what our next plan of action was going to be, once the Contagium attacked. I thanked everyone for their kind and genuine welcome home and proceeded into my indoor forest with them.

            My dad stood up tall and strong, “Everyone please take a seat. We have a lot of figure out and a lot to prepare for. It is going to end with this next fight, and I want us to be certain of that.”

            “Dante, Cyrus, I want you and both of your clans working together. I want you to chase out and tear apart any of them that are drawn up from that girl of theirs. I want them all destroyed. Don’t let her keep drawing. She needs to be taken out too, but it is inevitable that they are going to have many of them created and ready to attack before we even begin. She will not be in plain sight, if they are smart. Search her out, find her and destroy her.”

            He turned his focus to Beth next. “Beth, I know that you like to stay out of the battle, since you do not have the strength of some of the others, but your power is going to be essential. I need you to take away their sight as often and for as prolonged periods of time as you can. I don’t want them getting close enough to anyone to be able to touch them. I don’t want to risk it. I need them to have no chance of manipulating any of us.”

            “I can do that,” Beth replied in her angelic voice.

            “Everyone else, I need you to work together like you never have before. The first thing I want any of us to do is to lure them to the water. I want to wife to be able to have the water close and at her disposal quickly. I want Emma to be able to use it as well. We will drown some of them in it if we have to. Their numbers are growing too quickly and their powers are elevating. I know the talk of all of this seems grim, but it needs to be done. We can’t have them getting to people who do not have the powers to fight them off.”

            My mom stood up and briefly squeezed my dad’s hand. “Okay, everyone, we all know that we need to work together. We need to use our powers more strategically and elaborately than we have in the past. They are not going to be as easy to defeat as they were in France, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about really. We are still much stronger than them, and we have the love for one another to keep us on our guard. That is a lot more than we can say for them. They don’t worry about what happens to their own kind. We do. None of us will intentionally let any harm come to anyone in this room.”

            “However, I want us to always remember what we are fighting for. I don’t want anyone to go into this fight with the sole purpose of destroying them. We are going into this because we need to protect everyone else in the world; the common people, who do not understand the threats that are hiding just around every corner. We don’t want to see the world fall apart and we don’t want to see them take over. We need to help keep this world as safe a place to live as we can. Evil will always be out there, and we know that, but it is up to us to try and make that evil minimal and maintainable. We didn’t understand how much they had grown, and that is our mistake for not paying close enough attention, but now it is up to us to right this wrong and to bring peace back to our people and everyone else out there.”

            Everyone agreed with my mom and there was a moment of silence so everyone could just take in the events that were soon to take place.

            Lucas was the first person to speak up, and we all broke out into laughter when he announced the fact that he was starving. Everyone seemed to agree with his sentiment and we all decided to go wash up for dinner.

            We met back down in the dining area about thirty minutes later and in that time I took a moment to thank Sam for helping me find my way back to Jess. I knew that I wouldn’t have been able to do that without her and that I would probably still be lost right now. I owed her everything.  After I thanked her I took my seat across from Jess.

            The food seemed to never end as our servers brought it out to us. Everyone got their fill and enjoyed themselves completely. I could definitely get used to this kind of meal all the time. There was never a dish I could think of that we didn’t have. I always ate exactly what I was craving, even if I didn’t realize I was craving it.

            Our wonderful meal ended roughly two hours after it had began and the laughter than was a part of it seemed to still echo off the walls of the house. Jess and I volunteered to help clean up, instead of just making the help do it, while everyone else went off to bed or doing their nightly rituals. We stayed downstairs for a while that night and it took us a while to help get everything washed up. After everything was clean we went into the living room and Jess started a fire.

            After he was done getting the fire going he sat down next me to on the couch and just held me in his arms. I was so happy to be home. I knew that, being here in Jess’ arms was all I was ever going to want. He was everything to me, and I couldn’t risk losing that again. In this moment everything was perfect and I knew it was always going to be that way as long as I was with him.  

Final Battle