《Reborn: Souls》
Awakening
REBORN: SOULS
by
Xavier Raleigh
Preface:
Throughout history, the tales and legends in the eternal fight between good and evil, have been told and recorded. As time moves on, it becomes more apparent that the old saying ¡°What goes around, comes around.¡± is very evident. From the stories of the Beowulf, Norse Mythology, legends of old, proven history, and Victorian era literature, to the present time, we see the fight continue in much the same way.
¡°There are untold events throughout history that never came to the knowledge of the human race, however. For there to be a balance in the fight, for one side or the other, these events have remained hidden, until now. Therefore, it is my duty to relate these events for the betterment of humanity.¡±
¡°The following story is the culmination of these events, recorded from the memories of a young man named Machi Vascellum, his twin sister Yarin, and from my own personal experiences with the two of them.¡±
-True Chronicler
CHAPTER 1:
The twins, Machi and Yarin, were fifteen years old when the first of many tragedies took place in their lives. Taking a family trip into the mountains, Roger and Alexa Vascellum were excited to get out of the small town with the kids, and stay at the cabin that Roger''s father had built up on the shores of Lake Stratten. It was the perfect time of year for a break. Spring had begun and school was out on break. After long winter months of work, and financial hardships of owning their own business, Roger and Alexa had decided to take this trip to, as Alexa liked to put it, ¡®Remember the family bond¡¯.
Easy and lounging days drifted by, like there wasn¡¯t a care in the world. There was no phone at the cabin, or television to keep the family from enjoying the outdoors. The cabin was of a simple log frame, based with shale rocks, with heavy oak paneling above. Located several miles from the main highway, with the lake on one side and surrounded by thick forest on all other sides, it was well secluded from the outside world.
Every morning, Roger and Mechi would go out on the little fishing boat Roger and his father had built together, while Alexa and Yarin would sit on the back porch, watching the sunrise and drinking coffee. Even though there wasn''t any fish left in the lake, because it was so remote that the forest department figured it would be a waste of time, Roger and Mechi loved to just go out, put a line in the water, and talk about things they couldn¡¯t when ¡®The Girls¡¯ were around.
All too quickly, it seemed, spring break was over and it was time to head home. For Roger and Alexa to get back to work, and for Yarin to get back to school. Mechi would have been going back to school as well, but he had advanced so much faster than Yarin over the years, that he was able to graduate two years early and spend his time helping with the family business.
It was a morning just like any other, when the unfortunate event of this seemingly normal family, was to take its course.
Three years have past since their family was broken by the accident. Mechi and his twin sister, Yarin were with their parents, when the car was suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning. Machi remembered that instant in particular because it¡¯s the last thing he remembered. There was something really strange about it though¡ there wasn¡¯t so much as a cloud in the sky that day.
Mechi had awakened from the coma during the night and was trying to wrap his head around the fact that everything he knew had changed. Still a little blurry minded, he had been asking for his family for several hours. The hospital staff came and went from his room, only giving sorrowful looks to him in response to his request.
Finally, after hours of asking, with a weak voice, he yelled as best he could, ¡°Listen to me, I want to see my family! Now!¡±
The door opened. Mechi was ready to jump at whomever it was walking in, and throttle them until they listened to him. Fortunately though, he hadn''t the strength, and it was a good thing too.
To his surprise, it was none other than his sister Yarin who entered.
¡°Machi, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Yarin shouted, running into the hospital room.
It was a fairly plain looking room with the same linoleum floor and whitewash walls that you¡¯d expect to find in a hospital. The only notable item in the room was an old console T.V. screwed to the wall across from the bed. In the age of flat-screen T.V.s and streaming, did they really expect someone to steal it?
Though he knew it was Yerin, she looked quite different from what he remembered. She had grown a little, he judged that she was only a couple inches shorter than his own, six foot frame. Her hair was cut short, just above her shoulders, and she was wearing a casual outfit that he would never expect her to wear. All the years growing up, he recalled, she had always preferred a ragged pair of pants, tennis shoes, and a tee shirt.
¡°I thought for sure I was going to lose you too.¡± Yarin said, setting down her purse on a visitors chair as she walked to the side of his bed. ¡°The doctors told me that you could be in a coma for the rest of your life. I¡¯m so glad that you¡¯re okay!¡±. And reaching out for her brothers hand, she added ¡°Machi, I have some bad news, and so much more to tell you.¡±
As Yarin explained the past three years that Mechi had been sleeping through, something like flashes of electricity started running through his head. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was an effect of the lightning strike, the coma, or if he was just going crazy. Five faces suddenly leapt into his mind. He had never seen them before, either in the history books that he had read, nor in the cities that they had visited when they went on family trips. That¡¯s what scared him the most, the fact that he didn¡¯t recognize them. For someone with a photographic memory, that¡¯s a very scary thing.
Each face was accompanied by a series of sights and sounds from the past, obviously before his own time. He saw visions of life experiences connected with each face, however the details of each experience were hidden. As Mechi tried making sense of what he was seeing, a voice quietly whispered; ¡°In time, you will know all. Patience.¡±.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
By the time that the flashes had ended, two hours had passed and Yarin was still talking. However, even though he had been distracted, the information she told him had still seeped through into his mind, causing a feeling of his brain overloading. He shook his head attempting to clear his thoughts.
¡°... And those morons at the Protective Service Department¡¡± Yarin continued.
¡°¡®Yarn¡¯¡¡± Mechi interrupted, ¡°... How have you been doing? I know all that other stuff you¡¯ve been talking about is important, but you haven¡¯t mentioned how all of this has affected you, or what you¡¯ve been doing.¡±
Yarin jerked back with a surprised look on her face. Mechi saw fear and pain leap up for an instant, then they were gone as she composed herself.
¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± she said sharply. ¡°Where did that come from? I mean, doesn''t it even faze you that our parents are gone? And everything else¡¡± She grunted a sound of frustration then said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±
She got up slowly and headed for the door, stopping as her hand rested on the handle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said without turning around ¡°I guess I just need some air after all this excitement. You should get some rest. The doctor will be in soon to check on you.¡± And with a sideways smirk, she walked out closing the door behind her. As soon as the door was closed, Mechi heard her yell,
¡°My name¡¯s Yarin, Yar-in, NOT YARN!¡±. Then, the sound of departing footsteps.
Experts say that the bond between twins is a phenomenon that we, as humans, may never fully understand. It¡¯s said that the souls of twins are entwined to the point that, even no matter where they are in the world, one will know what the other is going through, or feel the same emotions, that sort of thing.
Mechi never really understood what all those ¡°experts¡± were saying. As far back as he could recall, he and Yarin had never had a bond. Neither physical nor emotional. It was almost as if they were born at the wrong time. To put it plainly, ¡®Same time, years apart¡¯.
That¡¯s why her reaction to his question didn¡¯t surprise him. He would have had the same reaction if it had been the other way around. ¡®Good¡¯, he thought, ¡®she¡¯s still Yarin.¡¯. Although they weren¡¯t very close, he was hoping that the past events, including the loss of their parents, hadn¡¯t changed her. Sad as it is to say, he still wanted her to be the sister that he remembered. Maybe it was nostalgia or familiarity, he couldn¡¯t tell for sure.
¡°No, I won¡¯t be a part of it!¡± Agitated by the fact that the first thing her brother could do after coming out of a coma was to make fun of her name, Yarin was apparently taking out her frustration on the person who had called her as she left the hospital.
She stopped suddenly when she realized that her outburst had drawn the attention of quite a few people wondering the streets. A sharply dressed business man, a woman dressed in a housekeepers uniform, and some other, more ordinary people. There was one that made her uncomfortable though¡ A homeless bum who had poked his head out from the box on the corner. He looked at her without emotion, just a blank, penetrating, stare. She averted her eyes, turned away, and walked in silence for a minute or two, every-so-often glancing back to make sure she wasn¡¯t followed, then quickly ducked into an alley.
¡°I told you before,¡± she continued with her phone conversation, ¡°when he wakes up, I¡¯m done with this town. That includes everything: the apartment, the job, everything but the car. We are going home.¡±
Her voice had started to rise again but she caught herself before she got too loud.
¡°We will see how that works out.¡± said the voice on the other end of the line. It wasn¡¯t a calm reassuring tone, but a gruff and malicious one. A voice like that would normally chill even a hardened man to the bone. It had done so the first time that Yarin had heard it. ¡°We¡ will¡ see.¡±
There was a knocking at the door, and it started to open before Mechi could give an answer. The man that walked in was a squat, but well built, framed sort of guy. Mechi could tell he thought highly of himself, as he sauntered into the room. ¡°Good morning,¡± the man said, looking Mechi up and down over his wire framed glasses. ¡°I hear that you just woke up not too long ago, how¡¯re your feeling?¡±
¡°Uh, do you mind not touching me!¡± Mechi said as he pulled away from the man and almost falling off the bed. ¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve come to do your primary check-up. And since you have been my patient for the past three years, I should be the one to do it, don¡¯t you think so Mr. Vascellum?¡±
¡°Your patient? You look like you just stepped out of the rain pipe.¡±
¡°Mowing the lawn out front actually, but I didn¡¯t have time to grab my equipment before coming in here. We are slightly under-staffed at the moment.¡±
The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out an employee security badge with the name Dr. Robert Samuals printed on it. Pinning it to his lapel, he said ¡°My name is Samuals, and I have been taking care of you for the last three years, so please allow me to continue for the short time that we have left.¡±
His way of speaking had changed in an instant, and there seemed to be something like a tiny flicker of green in his blue eyes as he spoke. The change of speech had been so slight that Mechi couldn''t quite figure out what the difference was, but a sudden feeling of contentment overcame him and he allowed the Doctor to continue the check-up.
¡°I understand that your sister has been here almost every day to visit you. Lately though, she¡¯s been looking a little worn down. There have been a couple of times that I thought she might end up in a bed next to you. She¡¯s a resilient young lady though, she always comes to your side, no matter what.¡±
With that statement, Mechi started to wonder if she really had changed since the accident. He could recall many times over the years when she said that she would rather be the sister to someone else, anyone else, but him. There seemed to be no end to the rollercoaster he was on.
¡°Are you sure you¡¯re talking about my sister, and not some cute girl who has the same clothing?¡± Mechi asked, as Dr. Samuals shown an overly bright light into his eyes.
¡°Quite sure.¡± Samuals replied with a chuckle. ¡°Dr. Terence, the doctor that takes care of you on my off hours, says that she¡¯s always here. It makes me wonder how she has time for a job with all the time she spends here.
¡°A job?¡± Mechi asked, ¡°What kind of job? I always thought that she would be the anti-work type. Come to think of it though, I should¡¯ve guessed based on her outfit.¡±
Dr. Samuals laughed. ¡°Yes, when she first started visiting, she wasn''t quite that well dressed. But a couple of years ago, when she earned her GED, she was hired on by a company that funded her apartment, clothing, vehicle, and even your care here at the hospital.
It hadn''t occurred to him earlier, but finding out that someone else had footed the bill for his care, made him feel a little more at ease. He could only imagine the strain that his care would have placed on Yarin. With their parents gone, she wouldn''t have been able to afford it on her own.
¡°Dr. Samuals,¡± Mechi said, with some hesitation, ¡°I thought you should know that I¡¯ve been having weird flashes go through my mind. It¡¯s not painful or anything, but it just makes me wonder if something might be wrong.¡±
The doctor looked at his patient with a smile of humour on his face, as though he were looking at a ninety-year-old man telling fish tales.
¡°How often do these flashes occur?¡± he asked.
¡°Only once since I woke up, but I¡¯m worried that they¡¯ll come back.¡± said Mechi with a strained looked on his face.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry,¡± Samuals said, trying to reassure him, ¡°If they happen again, you let me know, okay?¡±
¡°Will do doc.¡± he replied.
After that, the check-up went on without a word between them. Only Mechi¡¯s thoughts kept him from falling asleep. For someone who had been sleeping for the last three years, he was exhausted.
¡°Do you really think this is funny? I¡¯m not sure the human race can handle this.¡±
¡°Oh, come on, you remember the last time, we had so much fun.¡±
¡°Yes, but many innocent lives were lost, and you want to do it again?¡±
Release
CHAPTER 2: RELEASE
Stepping out from his shelter, a tall and lanky looking man squinted at the mid-day sun. ¡°That was strange.¡± he thought, scratching his head. ¡°People nowadays do the craziest things on their phones.¡±
Only a few moments before, he had been awakened by the sound of a young woman screaming at the person on the other end of a phone call. As the man stretched out, working the kinks out of his neck, he recalled the look of panic the young woman had on her face when she had noticed him looking at her.
¡°Now, I wonder what all that could have been about.¡± he said.
¡°You¡¯ll find out soon, I am sure.¡± a voice sounded in his head. ¡°That was one of them.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± he replied to the disembodied voice, ¡°She was one of them that you brought me here to find?¡±
¡°And to help, if she will let you. You know the person on the other end of the call¡±
¡°Wow, if that¡¯s not cryptic, I don¡¯t what is.¡± he continued, looking around for something to scrounge up for food. Finding nothing but a partially eaten apple, he took a bite before he continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been around for quite a while as you know, I know a lot of people. Humans are everywhere.¡±
¡°It¡¯s one of you: forsaken, cursed, and seeking retribution.¡± said the voice.
¡°Well that makes it a little easier to figure out, there aren¡¯t that many of us left in this world.¡± He looked around and noticed the weird look he was receiving from a passerby. ¡°Now that we got that cleared up,¡± he whispered, ¡°can you be quiet so that these people don¡¯t think I¡¯m crazy, talking to no one?¡±
There was no response from the voice.
¡°Thank you.¡± the old man said.
He sat down on a bus stop bench and opened the bag that he carried with him. It was a smallish bag, made of brown leather, and containing all the personal possessions that he had left. As he pulled out one item after another, he remembered, with great clarity, the situations that related to each of them.
He stopped and stared at one object in particular, a small clay frame with a drawing behind the in-layed, age-beaten glass, engraved with the initials ¡°T.C.¡±. He ran his fingers around the letters, trying to remember what they stood for but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to recall his own name. Perhaps the initials stood for his real name, or maybe just the name that he was using at the time. His wife Merissa had engraved the letters before giving him the gift.
The object was a picture that his son had drawn for him many years ago. Even though it was painful for him to recall the memories of this particular object, T.C. made sure to look at it everyday to remind himself of why he was still around. The loss of his family was the hardest thing that he had to deal with through his exceptionally long life.
It had been three-hundred years since his wife and son had been taken from him, and the pain of that loss still hadn¡¯t lessened. Some may think that three-hundred years is a long time, but that was only a fragment of the time he had been cursed to live on the earth¡ to his own recollection, nearly two-thousand years have gone by.
After the loss of his family, T.C. had decided not to acquire a new identity, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be worth the trouble.¡± he had convinced himself. That¡¯s also when the disembodied voice had spoken to him for the first time, agreeing with him. Since then, the voice had been his only companion. It seemed to be trying to help him seek his retribution for the sins that he had been cursed for, but it was taking much longer than he thought it should take.
He placed all the little objects back in the bag, stood up, and started heading in the same direction that the young woman had run off in.
Dr. Samuals had just finished with the check-up exam on Mechi when the door opened. A woman, seeming around age 35, peeked around the open door and asked if it was okay to enter.
¡°Do come in Dr. Terence, come and meet this young man.¡± said Dr. Samuals.
As the woman entered the room, Mechi noticed that she was actually much prettier than he had imagined. She was of average height and slender, with curly brown hair reaching down to just below her shoulders. When Dr. Samuals had first mentioned Dr. Terence, Mechi pictured a woman version of Samuals. This woman was nothing like him, not in stature, or appearance.
¡°So this is the famed Mechi Vascellum.¡± she said with a smile. ¡°After three years, it is nice to finally meet you. I have met the body before, but not the spirit.¡±
She had a strange way of talking, but nothing that made her hard to understand. Actually, that seemed to be the only common thing that the two doctors had between them. Whereas Samuals spoke that way only part of the time, Terence seemed to speak it all the time.
¡°Hi,¡± Mechi said, ¡°it¡¯s nice to meet you too. You must be Dr. Terence. Dr. Samuals has told me so much about you.¡± Dr. Terence looked surprised and gave Samuals a wistful smile. Then Mechi added, ¡°He didn¡¯t actually tell me anything, besides the fact that you fill in for him on his time off.¡± Her smile faded to a scowl, then she reached out to slap the back of Samuals head but he dodged it just in time.
¡°You brat!¡± she snapped at him.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sarah,¡± he said, pulling himself back to a stable sitting position and straightening his glasses, ¡°I was meaning to give him further information, but you know how I can get side tracked.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± said Dr. Terence, ¡°I surely do.¡± Then she added, ¡°I did not know that we were on a first name basis, Robert.¡±
¡°Well there you go,¡± he said in response, ¡°I¡¯ve just told him more about you.¡± He gave her a jesting wink. She returned the wink, walked over to the bed where Mechi was laying, in the process, succeeding with the second try, to slap Samuals on the head almost knocking his glasses off.
¡°Do not be a smart-ass, Robert.¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± he said laughing, ¡°my bad.¡±
¡°What a strange couple of people,¡± Mechi thought, ¡°A doctor who does lawn work, and a beautiful woman who should be a model rather than and MD.¡±
The doctors talked about another patient for a few minutes, but soon their attention was brought back to the young man in the bed.
Dr. Terence said, ¡°So what is the diagnosis, Dr. Samuals?¡± and after listening to the information he gave her, she concluded, ¡°Personally, I think it would be best to keep him here for at least a week to make sure he is going to stay conscious.¡± Turning to Mechi, she said, ¡°I know a week sounds like a long time, but once you think about it, what is a week in comparison to the three years that you have already been here?¡±
¡°I¡¯d be conscious for it.¡± Mechi thought. He almost said it out loud, but caught himself. He didn¡¯t want to get slapped for being a smartass too, it looked like it hurt.
¡°He would be conscious for it.¡± Dr. Samuals said with a laugh, and throwing a knowing look toward Mechi. Mechi noticed that same flicker of green in the doctor¡¯s eyes that he had seen before.
¡°What the heck? Can Samuals read minds or something? This is getting weird.¡± Mechi said, then clapped his hand over his mouth. He thought ¡°I can¡¯t believe I just said that outloud, damn-it!¡±
Both of the doctors glanced at each other and laughed.
¡°No, no,¡± said Dr. Samuals, ¡°nothing like that.¡±
Dr. Terence put in, ¡°For as long as I have known him, he has had sort of a sixth sense about things.¡± She bent down closer to Mechi and whispered in his ear, ¡°It actually freaks me out a little when he does that.¡±
Mechi smiled at the comment, but more so because she had gotten so close to him. ¡°Oh, only if I were older.¡± he thought. This time making sure that he wasn¡¯t talking outloud.
¡°But to answer your question Dr. Terence, I don¡¯t think that he needs to be here for that long. I¡¯m thinking maybe only one or two days at most, just long enough to run the usual tests.¡± said Samuals, brushing off a blade of grass from his shirt. ¡°We can always get in contact with him if we find anything that concerns us.¡±
¡°What?¡± Terence replied. ¡°You do realize that Mechi and Yarin¡¯s home is two counties over, do you not? How would they be able to come back if we had to do more tests.¡± She looked at Mechi, ¡°I would like you to think about staying, at least until we get the test results, that should only take four or five days.¡±
Even the ¡®four or five days¡¯ sounded better than an entire week to Mechi, but the ¡®one to two days¡¯ sounded even better. Maybe if they could get along for a couple of minutes, he¡¯d talk it over with Yarin when she got back.
Something in the voice on the other end of the phone, gave Yarin a feeling like it was reaching out through the phone to grab her. Unnerved by the voice she ended the call. She walked faster and faster until she realized that she was running at full speed through the front door of her apartment building.
Skipping every-other step on the stairs to the third floor, she kept thinking to herself, ¡°Almost there, almost safe. He doesn¡¯t know where I live. Apartment 317, almost there¡¡±. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Arriving at her door, feeling as though she was being followed, she fumbled with the keys a little but soon had the door opened and was safely inside. She flicked the dead-bolt into place and, just be safe, hooked the chain lock as well.
Throwing the keys into the empty flower pot on the entryway table, she slumped into the kitchen for a glass of water. She filled a glass with ice, poured water in from a pitcher, and gulped it down in one shot, the ice making a hollow, clinking sound. Yarin couldn¡¯t remember the last time she had been so frightened, but now she was safe, she...
¡°It¡¯s about time, Ms. Vascellum, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±
Yarins¡¯ eyes widened in shock at the sound. She stood motionless, and hardly breathing, hoping it was just her imagination.
¡°It¡¯s so nice of you to invite me in, I think I¡¯ll enjoy being your guest.¡± the voice said with an malicious playfulness to it.
There was something that Yarin realized as she turned slowly to look at the person sitting on her couch. The voice¡ it had more than one tone to it that she hadn¡¯t noticed before. Everytime this man talked, it sounded like three people talking in unison.
Composing herself, she said, ¡°Carter Haines, how did you find me? I never told you where I lived.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve always known Ms. Vascellum, even before I found you.¡± he replied, his voice turning to a single tone. ¡°Why do you think I never asked you?¡±
¡°I figured it was because you were trying to be courteous. What are you doing here?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve come to talk to you in person. You were very rude to me on the phone earlier, so I figured that you wouldn¡¯t fight me so much if I showed up personally.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve said all I have to say to you right now,¡± Yarin said, trying as hard as she could to remain calm and composed, and turning to face him added, ¡°like I said, Mechi and I are going home when he¡¯s released from the hospital.¡±
He was an abnormally tall man, thin, and with a complexion that made him look as if he were a bulimic vampire. Even though, she knew he was all muscle, having seen feats of strength that a person of his size shouldn''t be able to accomplish.
Carter smiled, and Yarin shivered at the sight of it. It didn¡¯t look quite human. ¡°I see,¡± Carter said, speaking with even more tones to his voice, ¡°So you think you can just up and leave my employment whenever you feel like it?¡±
¡°We agreed¡ ¡± Yarin started saying, but was unable to finish. Carter had grabbed her by the front of her shirt and picked her up off the ground, slamming her against the door frame she had entered. It happened so fast that she was unable to see him move, after all, he had been about 15 feet away, sitting across the living room, when she had started talking.
¡°I never agreed to anything, child!¡± said Carter, drawing her closer to him, ¡°You can¡¯t break a bond like ours so easily, as I¡¯m sure you will find out soon.¡±
Yarin began to scream, in the hope that someone might hear her and come to her aid, but at that moment, Carter just vanished, dropping her to the floor. She sat there for what, to her, felt like hours, but in fact was only a few minutes. Dazed and scared about what had just happened, it took a moment or two for her to realize that her phone was ringing.
She got up as quick as she could and ran to it, answering a little too excitedly, then relaxing a bit, she tried again.
¡°Hello, this is Yarin.¡±
¡°Hello, Ms. Vascellum, this is Dr. Terence down at the hospital. I was wondering if you would be able to come back in and answer a few questions.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± she said wearily, still straining to keep calm.
¡°Are you okay, Ms. Vascellum? You do not sound like you are.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Yarin replied, ¡°and please call me Yarin. ¡®Ms. Vascellum¡¯ makes it sound like I¡¯m an old cat-lady.¡± She laughed.
¡°Of course, Yarin, I just keep forgetting. So will you be willing to come back down here?¡± Dr. Terence asked eagerly.
¡°Yeah, give me about an hour, and I¡¯ll be there.¡±
She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply and collapsed to the floor. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just sit here for a little bit longer¡¡± she thought, starting to cry ¡°just a little bit longer.¡±
Yarin arrived back at the hospital right at the time she had indicated, but stopped before entering. She looked up at the glass covered building, almost blinding herself with the reflection of the setting sun. She stood for a moment, collecting her thoughts, and telling herself that she needed to focus on the situation at hand. What had happened with Carter Haines could wait until later.
Entering the visitors wing, she looked around cautiously, trying to make sure she wasn¡¯t being watched or followed. Turning toward the out-patient rooms where Mechi had been moved to, she walked with her eyes to the floor. When she arrived, she walked into her brother¡¯s room without knocking. Dr. Samuals was there speaking to Mechi. What the conversation had been about, she didn¡¯t know because they stopped talking when they noticed her entrance.
Giving a look of obvious questioning to both of them, she said ¡°Dr. Terence asked me to come back in to answer some questions, or something to that effect.¡±
Mechi noticed that she hadn¡¯t even said ¡®Hi¡¯ to him, ¡°She must still be upset about earlier.¡± he thought. He really wasn¡¯t that worried about it because she actually seemed a little healthier, looking like she had gotten some rest. It never occurred to him that she was just covering up how she really felt. It had been a long day for all of them, and it was finally coming to an end. He was exhausted, but he couldn¡¯t help hoping it would drag out, just a bit longer.
¡°She¡¯ll be back in a few minutes,¡± said Dr. Samuals, referring to Dr. Terence, ¡°she went to get some actual food for ¡®Munchy¡¯ here.
Mechi really hated being called that. The doctors had started calling him that after the third time he had asked for some food within a ten minute period.
¡°I can certainly understand your appetite,¡± Dr. Samuals had said, ¡°You¡¯ve had nothing but liquified mush, fed to you by a tube for the last three years. But we need to make sure that your body can handle solid foods before giving you too much. What is it that you¡¯re craving?¡± he asked.
¡°A hamburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake.¡± Mechi said without hesitation.
¡°I do not think that is a good idea quiet yet,¡± Dr. Terence interjected, ¡°You should try something less solid and filling until you get a little stronger. I will go down and see what I can find in the cafeteria.¡± she added, as she headed for the door.
Machi slumped down in the bed in an exaggerated pout, his bottom lip sticking out so far that it actually hurt to keep it there.
The doctors both laughed and copied his expression.
Dr. Samuals said, ¡°Do not pout young man, there must be something that can ease your hunger pangs, let us see what we can find for you.¡±
There was that strange speech and flicker of green again. No one else seemed to notice it except Mechi. Feeling like he would be happy just to have anything to eat, he agreed.
¡°Munchy, huh?¡± Yarin laughed, seeing the grimace on Mechis¡¯ face. ¡°That¡¯s a good one, I¡¯ll have to use that sometime. Especially since you call me ¡®Yarn¡¯.¡±
Mechi knew that would come back to bite him someday. Even though he had advanced in intellect faster than Yarin, due to his photographic memory, he had always mispronounced her name. First, it was innocent, but later turned into a joke he would use to get on her nerves. Now it was her turn.
Yaryn turned to face Dr. Samuals. ¡°So what was it that you and Dr. Terence wanted to talk to me about?¡±
¡°Right to business, I see. We were discussing how long your brother should remain here for further testing.¡± He replied, ¡°I think that it should only be one or two days, but Dr. Terence believes he should stay longer. What are your thoughts Ms. Vasce¡ I mean, Yarin?¡±
That strange speech again, still only noticed by Mechi, but no matter how he tried, with Dr. Samuals facing away from him, he couldn¡¯t see if the flicker had happened as well.
Yarin had to think about this, no matter what problems were between Mechi and herself, she had to think about his well-being above anything else right now. On the other hand, the looming threat from Carter Haines kept creeping into her mind. She wanted to get away as soon as possible.
The door opened, and Dr. Terence entered carrying a tray with what looked like, mush consisting mostly of a meat-substitute with a few vegetables thrown in for color. ¡°Oh good,¡± she said, when she looked over and saw Yarin by the bed, ¡°you are here. Now, as soon as I give ¡®Munchy¡¯ here his much deserved meal, we can talk.¡± and immediately suited action to the words.
Yarin laughed at the thought that these two, highly respectable, doctors could be so weird as to give Mechi such a nickname. And the fact that they actually used it made it all that more enjoyable. She was thinking about all the fun she could have, tormenting her brother with it, when Dr. Terence¡¯s voice broke into her day-dream.
¡°The fact that your brother has just barely woken up from a three year nap, causes me to worry that he might revert. That is why I would like him to stay at least four days, until we are able to get the test results back from the lab.¡± she said.
¡°I agree,¡± stated Dr. Samuals, ¡°but recent studies show that returning quickly to a familiar setting helps recovery. If they¡¯re able to return home, to their real home, it could help them adjust quicker to the new life situation.¡±
Yarin interrupted their argument. ¡°I understand what both of you are saying. I know this is really unlike me, but don¡¯t you think that we should include ¡®Munchy¡¯ in this conversation?¡± She shot a triumphant smile at Mechi for his reaction. ¡°I know that the test results are important, and it would be helpful for us to stay, but there are things pushing us to leave as soon as possible.
¡°Alright,¡± said Dr. Samuals, turning to look at Mechi, ¡°what do you think Mr. Vascellum?¡±
¡°Yes, let us hear your opinion on it.¡± Dr. Terence put in, also turning towards Mechi as he took another slurp of his meat-vegi mush.
The pressure of the three squablers looking at him, and pushing for a response was almost too much for him to handle. Here, his sister was indecisive and thinking it through like an adult. And the only two actual adults were arguing like children.
¡°An answer would be nice, ¡®Chompy¡¯...¡± Yarin started to say, then thought for a minute. ¡°No, ¡®Chompy¡¯ doesn¡¯t really fit.¡± A second later her sentence was completed but came out as sort of a stutter¡ ¡°An answer would be nice, ¡®Chompy¡¯... I mean ¡®Munchy¡¯... eh, Mechi.¡±
The three waiting for an answer giggled a little but refrained from actually laughing. Even Mechi had thought it was funny. He smiled, but didn¡¯t feel at ease for the impending answer he was asked for.
In all the time that he¡¯d been around, Mechi couldn¡¯t recall a single time when Yarin had asked him for a opinion on anything. Even at a really young age, playing games of imagination, she had always taken control, making it impossible for him to have even the slightest say.
The pressure finally made him blurt out, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Today has been such a long and tiresome day, that I don¡¯t know what to say right now.¡±
The other three all gave him a look of derision and immediately started talking to each other again.
Finally, Dr. Samuals turned to Yarin and said, ¡°So, young lady, it looks as though the final decision is in your hands.¡±
Mechi noticed that the doctor had said this with a concentration so hard, that he seemed to bore into Yarin with his eyes, as he said it. And even though Samuals was facing almost at a ninety degree angle from him, he could see a tiny flicker of light, but this time, it was more yellow than green. ¡°Yep,¡± Mechi thought to himself, ¡°I¡¯m losing my mind. I have to be. Otherwise, why would I be seeing¡¡±
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his sister. ¡°I actually think that we should wait until tomorrow to make a final decision,¡± she said, ¡°it seems like we¡¯re all too worn down to try figuring out anything right now.¡±
¡°Very well, we will continue this discussion tomorrow then.¡± said Dr. Terence with a small feeling of dismay.
¡°Good idea young lady. That¡¯ll give our patient some rest and maybe he can contribute as well.¡± Dr. Samuals inserted with a laugh although he didn''t sound completely thrilled with her decision.
With that, the group said their ¡®goodbyes¡¯ and dispersed. Mechi was finally alone with his thoughts. ¡°What was that?¡± he wondered. ¡°What is happening to me?¡±
¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? There¡¯s only so much he can handle right now.¡±
¡°I had to give him something to think about. It¡¯s almost time to start having fun.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you to be more careful this time. We can¡¯t be sure of the consequences.¡±
¡°Ha! That makes this even better.¡±
Homeward
CHAPTER 3: HOMEWARD
A few days had passed since Mechi had woken up in the hospital. They were pretty uneventful, when compared to the strange happenings that bombarded the thoughts rattling around inside their heads. The day after he had woken up, Mechi and Yarin had come to the agreement that it would be best to cut short the time in the hospital. For Mechi it was because he didn¡¯t like the idea of laying around, not being able to do anything but watch T.V. and eat mushy cafeteria food. For Yarin, on the other hand, it was because of her overwhelming feeling that something bad would happen if they stayed there. The feeling was brought about mostly by the threat from Carter Haines.
For the doctors, it was a different story. Dr. Samuals seemed a little too happy that the twins had, for the most part, agreed with him. And Dr. Terence seemed irritated at the fact that they had almost completely ignored her advice.
Now, the twins were almost home. ¡°Home is where you will always find safety.¡± their mother had told them. ¡°It¡¯s the best place to find and re-find yourself.¡± was their dads¡¯ favorite saying. No matter what, home was where they needed to be right now. The twins hardly ever agreed, but on this, they did.
The twins had been traveling down the road, lined with trees on one side, and a river on the other. Across the river, Mechi watched an enormous flock of starlings flying around from one spot to another. They did it so often and with such precision that it made him wonder if they had a communal mind. He smiled at the thought of five-hundred birds all thinking the same thing at the same time. He imagined that, if he could hear their thoughts, it would be extremely noisy, all those voices talking at the same time.
He was snapped out of his day-dream, when his sister broke the long silence that filled the majority of their trip.
¡°What do you think we should do for dinner tonight?¡± Yarin asked. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been any food in the house since I moved into the apartment near the hospital.¡±
Mechi had to think about it. Normally he would have gone with his idea of a hamburger and fries, but there was only one burger place in their hometown that he knew of, and it would be closed by the time they entered the town. ¡°How about pizza, is ¡®Jonny¡¯s Pizzeria¡¯ still around?¡± he asked. He knew that Yarin was always ready to have pizza.
¡°Yep, and it¡¯s even better than before...¡± she said with an excited twinkle in her eye, ¡°... they deliver!¡± She grabbed her phone and started flipping through the contacts app, finally stopping on one and pressing the call button.
It always made Mechi nervous when she did that. She wasn¡¯t that good of a driver to begin with, let alone when she was messing with her phone. He wanted to yell out something like ¡®Look out for that train!!¡¯ while she was searching for the number, but refrained himself. The idea of pizza put her in such a good mood, and he didn¡¯t want to ruin it.
Yarin put the phone on speaker, then the line picked up on the other end and a voice said, ¡°Jonny¡¯s Pizzeria, you pick it, we brick it.¡±
Another voice from the background yelled, ¡°Chris, stop trying to come up with a catchy phase and just answer the phone like you were told.¡±
¡°Sorry dad,¡± Chris said, and in an exaggeratedly bored voice he added, ¡°Jonny¡¯s Pizzeria, may I take your order?¡±
Yarin laughed, ¡°I think I like the first one Chris.¡±
¡°Is that¡ Yarin? Yarin Vascellum?¡± Chris asked excitedly.
Chris had had a major crush on Yarin for as long as he could remember. When his family had moved to Coral Reef, the Vascellums were the first people that had befriended them.
Suddenly the sound on the other end of the line sounded like someone had dropped the phone in a deep fryer. Next, the unmistakable sound of pots and pans crashing to the floor, rang out like a gong. Then there was a sound like someone losing traction on a wet floor, hitting a wall, falling down, and struggling to get back up. Finally, the sound settled down and Jonny picked it up.
¡°Sorry about that,¡± he said, ¡°I think Chris just had a heart attack or something. He¡¯s not breathing at the moment, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be okay. How¡¯re you doin¡¯ Yarin?¡±
Jonny Petroni, the owner of ¡°Jonny¡¯s Pizzeria¡±, was always joking around like that. Yarin was trying so hard not to laugh, that it took a few seconds before she was able to catch her breath and answer.
¡°I¡¯ve been doing alright, but I¡¯m doing even better now, Mr. Petroni. How¡¯ve you and Mrs. Petroni been doing?¡±
¡°We¡¯ve been,¡± he said, then hesitating added, ¡°doing just fine.¡±
Another voice in the background sounded across the line. ¡°What happened in here? Where¡¯s Chris? Who¡¯re you talking to Jonny?¡± So many questions in a row, Yarin knew who it was. It had to be Margaret Petroni, Jonny¡¯s wife.
She was a portly type woman, and not very tall, but she had such a vicious temper that you definitely wouldn¡¯t want to cross her. At times she could be the nicest, most kind hearted person to know, and at others she could make you run for the hills. How Jonny, and their son Chris handled her, no one knew.
¡°To answer your questions Margret,¡± Jonny replied, ¡°A: Chris happened, B: He¡¯s over here on the floor. I think he¡¯s breathing again, so that¡¯s a good thing, and C: Yarin Vascellum.¡±
¡°Really? It¡¯s really Yarin? Let me talk to her!¡± she screeched, and stepping over the unconscious, prostrate form of her son, she snatched the phone away from her husband. ¡°Yarin, is that you, darlin¡¯?¡± she asked excitedly, ¡°I thought you said that you wouldn¡¯t be coming back until¡¡± There was a moment of silence before she continued. ¡°Did Mechi wake up? Are you two finally coming home?¡±
Yarin rolled her eyes over in Mechi¡¯s direction, who had been listening to the whole conversation from the passenger seat and said, ¡°Yes Mrs. Petroni, he¡¯s awake and we¡¯re coming home. We should be getting back to town in about an hour. We were actually calling to order dinner if it¡¯s not too late for delivery to the house.¡±
¡°Not at all Yarin, we¡¯ll have Chris bring it over after his father wakes him¡ oh¡ wait¡¡± The sudden sound of rushing water, and a hideous scream, surprised the twins. They exchanged questioning glances, even as Margaret¡¯s voice rang over the phone again. ¡°Damn-it Jonny, that was the ice water we were keeping the sardines in, look there¡¯s a couple of them on Chris¡¯ face. What are we going to do if someone orders sardines?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
The question was immediately answered by a bellow from Jonny. ¡°You¡¯re literally the only person in this town that like those things, why do you think I never put them on the menu?¡±
¡°That may be true, but I like them fresh,¡± she said, ¡°and Chris likes them too.¡±
The twins listened to the faint sound of Chris moaning while regaining consciousness, screaming again, and once more trying to get traction on a wet floor. Seconds later they heard him yell, ¡°I hate those things, get them away from me!¡±
¡°Well,¡± Margaret said, ¡°so much for him taking after his mama. Anyway Yarin, I¡¯m sorry for all the ruckus, what is it that you¡¯d like on your pizza? And don¡¯t even think about payin¡¯, consider everything you order as a ¡®Welcome Home¡¯ present to you and your brother.¡±
¡°Thank you Mrs. Petroni.¡± Then she placed their order. Yarin and Margaret talked for a little while longer, with the speaker turned off, and then yaryn hung up. ¡°We¡¯re almost home,¡± she said to Mechi. He had already started noticing certain landmarks that he had been looking out for. Passing the town border sign, he read it outloud, ¡°Coral Reef, Population 2,110.¡± Only a few more minutes and they¡¯d finally be home.
The house didn¡¯t look much different than they remembered. It had been overgrown with weeds in the lawn, even though Mr. Simmons, who lived down the street, had volunteered to take care of it; there was only so much that an old widower could do.
The twins pulled into the driveway which was weather-beaten and and cracked. Yarin pushed a button on a small box mounted to her dashboard and the garage door slowly opened. The garage was in pretty good shape. Having been built with Cedar wood, like the rest of the house, it evaded damage from the elements. She pulled in, put the car in park, and turned off the engine.
They sat there in silence for a few moments, allowing the feeling of security to wash over them. Doing this had become somewhat of a tradition whenever they had returned home from long family trips. Looking around the garage through the car windows, Mechis¡¯ eyes started to tear up as he saw all the items that held memories of their past life, when their parents were still alive.
¡°Don¡¯t start crying, you big baby.¡± Yarin said, placing her hand on the door handle and pulling. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be plenty of time for that when you¡¯re by yourself.¡±
Mechi glanced over at her while she was talking and noticed her eyes had teared up as well. He gave her an understanding smile, and then reached down and opened his door.
The fragrance that filled the air as the doors open, made the twins choke a little. Dust, there was so much dust. There was quite a lot of work to do around the house to get it back in shape, but that could wait, they were too tired to do anything about it now. Besides, their dinner would be arriving soon.
Yarin looked through her set of keys, unlocked the door that led from the garage to the interior of the house, and walked in closely followed by her brother. They both stood there in amazement as their eyes scanned the house. It was immaculate. Not so much as a dust-bunny was to be seen. The smell of fresh paint and multi-purpose cleaner filled the air. Someone had known that they were coming home. But for them to do all this work, the person or persons would have had to know of the twin¡¯s return, even before Mechi had woken up.
¡°Wow,¡± they both said in unison.
¡°I wonder who did this?¡± Yarin said. ¡°When I left here to move into the apartment, this place was cover with sheets.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe the Reverend set this up. If he¡¯s still around anyway. I remember, he always had a way of knowing things were going to happen before they did.¡±
¡°True, it¡¯s probably all that praying he does. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s still around though. I haven¡¯t talked to him since I moved away.¡±
The doorbell rang and the twins raced each other to the door. Yarin, always more athletic than Mechi, reached it first and threw it open. It was Chris, with their pizza, breadsticks, and other fixings they had ordered.
¡°Wow, that looked like quite the race, I saw it through the window.¡± he said after staring at the twins for an uncomfortable amount of time. ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever seeing Mechi run that fast.¡± he laughed.
¡°I know, right?¡± Yarin said, unloading the food from Chris¡¯ arms, ¡°He¡¯s in pretty good shape for not getting exercise for three years.¡± She placed the food on the entryway table and threw her arms around Chris¡¯s neck.
Chris thought, as he¡¯s knees started to buckle, ¡°Wow, she missed me that much?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Mechi added with words instead of actions, ¡°thanks for the food.¡± He laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you a hug for it though.¡±
¡°The food?¡± Chris thought.
¡°He¡¯s kidding Chris¡±, Yaryn put in, letting go of his neck, ¡°It¡¯s really good to see you again.¡±
Mechi nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s true, It¡¯s nice to finally see a familiar face.¡±
Chris smiled sheepishly, it was a nice feeling to be appreciated. He said, ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s good to see you guys too. I better head back to the Pizzeria though, they¡¯re probably getting ready to close it down. They decided to train me how to close up and do the books.¡±
The three said their goodbyes and Chris headed back to his car. The twins took their food into the kitchen and dug into it as if they had never had anything to eat before in their lives. The abundance of food diminished as if by magic, and soon, only crumbs remained. The two sat there in silence and contentment as they relaxed after their meal.
¡°That was great.¡± Yarin said, breaking the silence.¡±
¡°Yep,¡± Mechi agreed, ¡°I always loved Jonny¡¯s food.
They talked a while longer about the miracle that the house was in such good shape, and then took a tour of the house, regaining memories as they went around. They stopped in front of their parents room, and stared at the door for a few minutes, imagining their parents coming out and welcoming them home.
Sadly, Yarin said, ¡°I guess we should probably turn in. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We have to go into town and check on the Coffee shop along with some other erends.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Mechi agreed, ¡°that would probably be best.¡±
They turned and walked away, with a hasty ¡°G¡¯night¡±, to their rooms.
Exhausted as he felt, it took Mechi a while to fall asleep. All the events of the last few days, combined with the fact that he was home again, made it hard to stop his thoughts. He tried counting sheep, but even that didn¡¯t help. He kept remembering something his father had told him years ago about counting sheep¡ ¡°You can always tell how tired you are by counting sheep.¡± he had said, ¡°When they start tripping over the fence, you¡¯re beyond exhausted.¡± But his sheep were beyond even that, they were tripping over the fence, and falling over a cliff. Unfortunately, that thought just made him laugh, not fall asleep.
It took nearly two hours for his brain to stop long enough to start gaining unconsciousness. Shortly after, he heard a faint voice calling his name. At first it seemed far away, but as it continued calling, it grew louder and louder, until it sounded like it was right behind him. Imagining himself standing in a dark room, he turned around and saw that the voice was coming from one of the faces he saw in his mind back when he first woke up from the coma.
¡°Mechi.¡± the voice said again.
The man standing before him was a strikingly handsome man, dressed in what seemed to Mechi as armor made of leather, inlaid with with designs of solid gold. He held a long spear in his right hand, and a wooden shield in his left. Mechi thought he looked like an old gladiator from Ancient Rome.
¡°Mechi Vascellum.¡± the man said, one last time.
¡°Who are you, what do you want?¡± Mechi asked, looking him over as to burn his visage into his memory.
¡°My name is ¡°Silvanus Longspear. ¡®Demigod, and Hero¡¯ to the human¡¯s of a much earlier age.¡± he said. His speech was that of an Anglo-Saxon, the English language had originated from this particular tongue. Mechi had learned about it in high school english. That meant that this man was from a later time than Ancient Rome. ¡°I have something for you.¡± Silvanus said.
¡°And what would that be?¡± Mechi asked, with a little worry in his voice.
As Silvanus looked at Mechi, his eyes were suddenly filled with pure light, then he spoke with a voice that boomed and echoed, almost knocking Mechi off his feet¡
¡°MY STRENGTH!¡±
Strength
Chapter 4: STRENGTH
Silvanus Longspear
Year of our Lord: 700 A.D.
The world was in turmoil, and at such a young age, civilization was endlessly searching for a hero to purge the land of the monstrous beasts preying on its inhabitants. They searched everywhere for someone with the strength and courage to fight against this evil, but were unable to find anyone.
The ¡°Elders¡±, seeing that a hero was needed, sent a vision to a young man from across the sea. His name was Silvanus Longspear. Having grown up defending his own land from various threats, Silvanus was granted the strength equal to that of a demigod. Some even thought that he was a demigod, but at this point in time, he had not yet earned that stance nor title.
¡°Silvanus,¡± the Elders, told the king of the land, ¡°is the name of the man who can save your people. He is currently traveling from a distant land, but will arrive in time to be of aid to you.¡±
Through many toils and tribulations, Silvanus made his way to the land shown to him in the vision. However, when he arrived on their shores, the land was almost void of all life. Vegetation, wildlife, even the human inhabitants, were so scarce, that he had to search five long days before anyone was to be found.
The hero was brought before the king of the land, who exploded in a fury at the sight of him. The rage was directed more at the Elders rather than Silvanus. For, from the time that the Elders had told about the arrival of Silvanus, and the time he was brought before the king, the land had received such large losses, that it was nearly uninhabitable.
The people had been nearly destroyed, the livestock hunted and eaten, all due to the beast that roamed the land, eradicating everything in sight. The remaining lifeforms were only able to escape through the devices of the magicians in the king¡¯s service. They had been able to conjure border spells to repel the beast from the hall, but not from the surrounding land.
All that was left, were the starving, nearly dead inhabitants of the Mead Hall itself.
¡°I have received a vision of a land in need of a hero, overrun by monsters, and desolate.¡± Silvanus declared.
¡°This is that land.¡± replied the king. ¡°Are you the demigod Silvanus, whose coming was foretold to us by the Elders?¡±
¡°I am he.¡± the hero said. ¡°What is it that haunts this land, my king?¡±
¡°It¡¯s name is one that we do not speak, unless relating our unfortunate tale. It is called Goatnal. A monstrous beast of extraordinary power and cunning. I¡¯m afraid that you have arrived all too late to assist however.¡± the king said.
¡°I have arrived as fast as the Elders would allow me, my king.¡± said Silvanus. ¡°Therefore, there is still time to save and revive this land.¡±
¡°You have much faith in the Elders, young man, I am all but through with my faith. If you are able to complete what you declare, my faith will be replenished as the land replenishes.¡± said the king wearily, unable to keep his eyes from drifting to the floor in despair.
Silvanus answered, ¡°As I have said it, it shall be done, my king.¡± He stepped forward to the step just below the throne, knelt down on one knee, and with head bowed requested, ¡°Humbly I ask that my king tell me where I can find this ¡®Goatnal¡¯, that I may confront him.¡±
The king¡¯s eyes lifted from the floor to assess the hero kneeling before him. He saw power, courage, and strength perhaps equal to that of the beast he was to hunt. Never had he seen such power in any other human.
¡°Three days, you must travel East.¡± he said, finishing his assessment, ¡°There, in a luscious portion of land, sided with mountains on one side and a forest on the other, there you will find Goatnal. No one has returned from a journey to this land besides one, and he passed shortly after telling us the tale.¡± He stood up, and turned to walk away when he added, ¡°If you are able to return in victory, Hero, you shall be rewarded beyond measure.¡± Then, with a wave of his hand, signifying that Silvanus was dismissed, he departed.
The three days of travel gave Silvanus plenty of time to rest and store up his strength for the impending battle. It was, however, sort of a disappointment to the hero. From the stories that had been related to him, he had expected a constant state of battle, trying to reach his destination. But no more than three or four beasts had tried intersecting him. Having easily dispatching these foes, he constantly noticed many others, running and hiding in fear at his approach.
As he reached the top of the mountain that was said to border one side of his destination, he surveyed the area carefully before descending to the valley below. The land was truly luscious, like nothing he had seen before or even imagined. The evening sun shown through the trees in the forest, giving off a scene that he had only read about in poems, but hadn¡¯t thought such visions were real. He set his spear and shield down against one of the trees, and sat down for while to enjoy this time of peace.
As the sun reached the tip of the mountain, the hero retrieved his weapons and, sensing a disturbance in the air around him, took his battle stance, ready for anything. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
He wasn¡¯t quite ready enough, however. In an instant, his shield was torn from his hand and shattered against a rock several yards away. He was barely able to keep a hold of his spear as he was suddenly lifted into the air. He had never even heard a sound, not so much as a twig snapping on the ground. Where had the creature come from? How was it that he, an experienced warrior and proclaimed hero, had been taken by surprise? For the first time in his life, a spark of fear sprang into his heart.
Then he saw the beast for the first time as a full Harvest Moon rose above the forest. Goatnal didn¡¯t live in the luscious valley that he was told about by the king, he was a part of it. Goatnal was a Gollum. He must have been quite ancient one to have achieved such a size.
Goatnal pulled himself up from under the ground where he had been sleeping, lifting Silvanus higher into the air. Holding Silvanus up by one of his arms, he surveyed him, and with a toss, threw him against a rock. The hero hit the rock with such force that it cracked from one side to the other, causing him to crumble to the ground, and dropping his spear.
Seeing the intruder fall, and lose his weapon, Goatnal turned and picked up a large tree, in order to finish off the human. He turned back, swinging the tree as if it were a light-weight sword.
Before he made contact with his victim however, Silvanus caught Goatnals¡¯ arm, stopping it in mid swing.
Surprised, for he had never seen a human with such strength, he tried to wrench his arm free.
The hero, tightening his grip, picked up his spear, and thrust it through the beast¡¯s wrist and into a tree, pinning his enemy down.
Seeing that this man was no normal human, the beast attempted to swat at him with his free arm and both of his feet in turn. The Hero dodged with such skill, it seemed like child¡¯s play. Self-pride is a dangerous thing though, as the hero soon found out.
Suddenly, Goatnal planted a foot into the ground and lifted with all his strength. Lifting a large piece of ground, roots snapping and rocks flying, he succeeded in toppling the human.
Silvanus tried catching himself but was too late. As he fell, he struck his head against a sharp stone, putting out an eye. Blood pouring from his wound, he slowly pick himself back up. Stumbling as he turned around, he saw in horror as his own spear was thrust through his stomach, nailing him to the ground.
Rage filling every facet of his monstrous earthly being, Goatnal continued viciously pounding his opponent in to the ground. As his rage grew, he lost track of where the human was. Soon, all he was hitting was the ground.
Having been pretty well mortally wounded with his own weapon, Silvanus was only able to come up with enough strength for one last attempt to defeat his foe and purify the land. With a vicious battle cry, he threw his arms around the beast, and latching his fingers together, squoze as hard he could, refusing to let go regardless of the struggling beast.
Goatnal, using his natural abilities, pulled himself to his feet. However, the human held his grip, resulting that he was lifted off the ground, running the long shaft of his spear the rest of the way through his body.
Regaining is footing and using all the strength he had remaining, he dragged Goatnal to the edge of a lake that he had noticed when he surveyed out the land from atop the mountain. Understanding that even though Goatnal was an elemental gollum, this particular type couldn¡¯t swim.
Goatnal, seeing where the human was taking him, struggled as hard as he could, but to no avail. With one last thrust, Silvanus and Goatnal plunged into the water. The beast, with a look of fear on his face, started to slowly dissolve. The mossy ties that held the parts of his stone and dirt body together, started dissolving and floating away as the water made contact. Soon, piece by piece, the stones began to sink, as one at a time, they came dislodged. As Silvanus watched his enemy dissolve, his body was lifted out of the water under non of his own power and placed on the shore. Almost immediately, he lost consciousness.
He awoke three days later, his spear by his side. He was being carried back to the land that he had fought for. He noticed that the land had already begun to mend. The trees started to bud, the other vegetation had already begun sprouting from the ground, and a river began to flow from the mountain.
It wasn¡¯t the King or any of his men that had pulled him from the lake and saved his life, it looked to be one of the old women that he had seen in the Mead Hall. The old woman took the hero to the throne room, where the king was sitting, waiting anxiously for his return.
¡°Our Hero,¡± the king declared to his subjects as they entered, ¡°arise and show him the honor he deserves.¡± All the people, including the king, arrose in honor of the warrior who had saved their land. ¡°You have succeeded in ridding our land of the menace that nearly destroyed us. What is it that you require as a reward for your services, young man?¡±
¡°I require nothing, my king.¡± Silvanus answered, lifting himself to a sitting position. ¡°All I ask is the piece of land on which my greatest battle was fought.¡±
The king¡¯s eyes filled with rage at this response. It was the greatest respect to receive a gift for services rendered. This young hero had requested something that would separate him from the kingdom he had risked so much for. ¡°Then you shall receive nothing. All reward shall remain with the people of this kingdom.¡±
¡°I mean you no disrespect my king,¡± Silvanus said, ¡°the people of this kingdom will need the reward that was to be mine, in order to rebuild, and return to the life of times past.¡±
The king¡¯s rage subsided at these words, realizing that the hero was not yet done saving the kingdom. He was, in fact willing to relinquish all riches to provide for the people. ¡°Very well, hero.¡± he said. ¡°The land you asked for is yours, may you live the rest of your life in peace.¡± Then returning his eyes to the people, he called out, ¡°Hail to the Hero, Silvanus Longspear! Hail, hail, hail!¡±
As Silvanus returned to the land that he had chosen as his prize, the old woman followed after him.
¡°Why do you follow me Old Woman? What is it that you want?¡±
¡°I have a simple question for you, sir.¡± she said, in a quiet tone. ¡°Are you ready to begin your true test of Strength?¡±
¡°True test?¡± Silvanus asked, not quite understanding.
¡°I grant you a reward in exchange for what you¡¯ve given up, you have truly proven your worth to become a demigod.¡± As she said this, the body of the old woman seemed to melt away before his eyes, and revealed a woman of astounding beauty. She was in fact one of the Elders. She said, ¡°I have one last quest for you Hero.¡± She waved her hand and a young man appeared, standing before them. ¡°This young man will be in need of your services, many ages from now. Your body will no longer be a part of this world, but if you consent, the strength of your soul will remain.¡±
As his strength returned, pride filled the heart of the young hero, his body quickly healed, and his wounds disappeared. He felt exhilarated at having a new quest to look forward to. ¡°I give my consent, my Lady.¡± he said, without hesitation. ¡°My strength is his.¡±
Friends
Chapter 5: FRIENDS
Was it a dream? Was it a vision? Or was it a memory? Mechi couldn¡¯t be sure. He tried to understand what was happening with him. ¡°My strength is his.¡± were the last words that the strange man had said. What did that mean?
He hadn¡¯t remembered actually falling asleep but he must have because it was already starting to get light out as the sun started to rise. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, and headed down the stairs to the kitchen.
Yarin was already sitting at the breakfast island, munching on a piece of toast. ¡°Morning sleepyhead.¡± she said with a mouth full of toast. She swallowed before continuing. ¡°I went to the ¡°Sev¡± early this morning, and got a little food for the house. We have¡ let¡¯s see¡ toast, and that¡¯s about it.¡± shoving the rest of the toast into her mouth, she got up to make more.
¡°Yarin,¡± Mechi started, ¡°Have you been having any weird dreams lately? Because I had a really weird one last night.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really dream anymore,¡± she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve had some weird ones before, but I don¡¯t have them anymore.¡± She looked at the toaster as if, by the shear power of her mind, she could make it cook faster. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to know, but what was your dream about?¡± She asked him, as the toaster popped.
¡°Have you ever heard of someone name ¡®Silvanus Longspear¡¯?¡± he asked, not expecting the answer he got. The look of surprise on her face was almost shocking to look at.
¡°Have you?¡± he repeated, more in response to the look than anything else.
¡°Um, no, not really.¡± Yarin replied, her face shifting back to normal. ¡°The name sounds like something from an old legend, from the time of kings, knights, and dragons. How did you come up with such a name as that?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t make it up,¡± he said with some esparity, ¡°the man in my dream said his name was ¡®Silvanus Longspear¡¯. I¡¯ve never heard it before so I figured I¡¯d ask you to see if you¡¯ve heard it before.¡±
¡°Nope. Enough nonsense, we have a lot to do today, and we better get started soon.¡± She said. ¡°Eat your toasted breakfast and brush your teeth, you have three-year-morning breath.¡± then walked off laughing.
As the twins were getting ready to leave the house, the doorbell rang. This was not an unexpected occurrence. Mechi went to the door and peeked through the window.
With an excitement that he hadn¡¯t felt since he started heading home, he opened the door. It was his best friend Ryan Mac, and Yarin¡¯s best friend Michelle Gaster. The two friends used to date, but found that they got along better as ¡°just friends¡±.
¡°Mechi,¡± Ryan said, slapping him on the shoulder, ¡°I heard that you woke up, but I almost didn¡¯t believe it. How¡¯ve you been?¡±
¡°Um, unconscious¡¡± Mechi replied.
¡°It¡¯s great to see you again.¡± Michelle said, shoving Ryan out of the way.
Mechi had no idea how to react. Thinking he was alone in the doorway, he stood stunned for a minute, then realized that Michelle had been speaking to Yarin who had come up behind him.
¡°Michelle!¡± Yarin screeched, and ran through the doorway, wrapping her arms around her friend.
¡°That was awkward,¡± Ryan said, looking over his shoulder at the girls as he and Mechi went inside, ¡°I had no idea that they had missed each other so much.¡± Mechi laughed.
¡°How¡¯re you doing Ryan?¡± asked Mechi, leading his friend into the living room. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you since¡ come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen anyone for a few years.¡± he said jestingly.
¡°Yeah, ever since¡¡± Ryan stopped mid-sentence because he didn¡¯t want to dredge up any unwanted memories. Mechi had already started drifting off into a memory when Ryan had started talking.
¡°Yeah.¡± Mechi said sadly, but quickly reverted to his previous attitude. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you again, and so soon after we got back. How did you know we were here?¡±
¡°Chris.¡± was all Ryan had to say, and Mechi knew that Chris had probably run all over the town letting everyone know that they were back.
¡°Gott¡¯cha.¡± he said, to show that he understood.
While the boys were in the house visiting and catching up on the last few years, Yarin and Michelle were lounging under the large Birch tree in the front yard.
¡°I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re finally home ¡®Y¡¯, this is so exciting. You have to tell me everything about your time away. What was your apartment like? Where did you work? What did you do for fun?¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
All these question rose from the fact that Yarin had made the difficult decision not to keep in contact. It was not only because she was so busy, but more that she didn''t want to create a link between her home life and that of Carter Haines.
¡°Slow down ¡®Shell¡¯,¡± Yarin said, laughing. ¡°I can¡¯t keep up.¡±
¡°Sorry.¡± Michelle pouted, ¡°I just missed you so much and¡¡± her eyes started to tear up and she was unable to finish her thought.
¡°Yeah, I missed you too, ¡®Shell¡¯. I will tell you everything you want to know. I got an idea first though, hang on and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She quickly ran off in the direction of the house.
A few minutes later, she returned to her friend in the front yard. ¡°K, let¡¯s go.¡± she said, grabbing her friend by the arm and lifting her to her feet.
¡°Wait, I thought you had things to do with Mechi today.¡±
¡°Yeah, but I just let him know that he¡¯ll have to meet me later. The boys need their ¡®Guy Time¡¯ and we need ours.¡± she said as they quickly walked down the street.
¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to drive?¡± Michelle asked, straining to keep pace with her friend.
¡°Yeah, but this way, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to talk. Ryan¡¯s going to drive Mechi to town later.¡±
¡°Cool,¡± Michelle replied, obviously happy, ¡°sounds like a plan.¡±
T.C. was a little upset with himself for having lost the twins¡¯ trail. Somehow, he wasn¡¯t able to locate them anywhere. He searched the apartment that Yaryn had been living in, after being informed that her brother had been released from the hospital. He had stopped by the apartment, hoping that he could catch them there, but no such luck. The apartment was empty except for the furniture that was too big for them to take. ¡°Apparently, she felt that they had to go in a hurry.¡± he thought, ¡°Could this other one like me, really be that terrifying?¡± He was looking through a High School yearbook that had been left behind, and saw Yaryn¡¯s picture.
¡°Yarin Vascellum.¡± he said aloud. ¡°The Elders are up to their little ¡®name games¡¯ again.¡±
¡°Very funny T.C., you know that the Elders don¡¯t have a sense of humor. You should know that better than anyone.¡±
¡°Wow,¡± T.C. replied, ¡°You just love bringing that up, don¡¯t you. Listen, don¡¯t you realize what the last name¡¡±
The voice interrupted him. ¡°Yes, roughly translated from the original latin, it stands for ¡®Vessel¡¯.¡± I don¡¯t see what the big deal is.¡±
¡°Think about it,¡± T.C. said, ¡°you don¡¯t think that it¡¯s just ironic that the names of these kids, who are destined to tip the scales in this fight, means ¡®Vessel¡¯? I mean, what they are about to go through¡ You know what,¡± he said mid-sentence, ¡°never mind. There¡¯s no point to try explaining it.¡±
¡°Very well,¡± said the voice, ¡°by the way, there seems to be something lodged in between the table and the wall over there.¡±
T.C. walked over to the table and moved it. He bent down to look at what it was that the voice had mentioned. It was a note.
¡°Carter,¡± it read, ¡°I told you that we were leaving. You can¡¯t intimidate me anymore. I want to let you know, however, that I am grateful for your guidance the last three years, it has been really instructive. On a short note. We¡¯re gone, good luck trying to find us.¡± The note was signed, ¡°Yarin and Mechi Vascellum.¡±
¡°That idiot,¡± said T.C., crumpling up the note in his hand, ¡°If I¡¯ve read this right, I know which one of us ¡®Forsaken¡¯, she¡¯s been dealing with. I hope he hasn¡¯t read this note, because he¡¯d probably take it as a challenge.¡±
¡°Carter, let¡¯s see¡¡± the voice chimed in, ¡°Carter Haines most likely. Forsaken for being the reason¡¡±
¡°Shut-up, I know who he is.¡± T.C. yelled, ¡°The bastard!¡± Stomping to the door, he threw it open with such force that it broke off the hinges. He didn¡¯t have time to worry about the damages he might cause using his abilities. He had to find the kids as quickly as possible.
As he entered the hallway, he heard a door shut, and looking around noticed one of the neighbors peeking through the crack of their opened door. Waving to them as if saying ¡®sorry to disturb you¡¯, he quickly walked toward the stairwell and the exit.
¡°If Carter is mixed up in this little ''game'', as you call it, that the Elders are playing,¡± the voice told him, ¡°you no longer have the luxury of acting human to fit in. Not until we found the twins.¡±
¡°Can you locate them?¡± he asked as he rushed out of the apartment building, stopping just outside, looking one way, and then the other, waiting for a reply.
¡°It¡¯s hard, my powers aren¡¯t what they used to be, you know. Probably from all those years of being stuck in your head.¡±
¡°Yes, I know, but you have to try. In my experience, Carter is much worse than even you know. The facts have become much worse since the Elders lost track of him. We Have To Find Those Kids.¡±
¡°First off,¡± the voice said, ¡°being ¡®all-knowing¡¯, I do know how bad he is, even with what¡¯s happened since the Elders lost him. And second, it¡¯s faint, but I think I have located¡¡±
¡°Where? Which way?¡± T.C. said, completely ignoring the ¡®First off¡¯ notion of the voice.
¡°Coral Reef, five-hundred miles east of here.¡±
Without a word of thanks, T.C. took off as fast as he could go. Even though everything around him seemed to be standing still, he still felt like he wasn¡¯t moving fast enough. ¡°Carter Haines,¡± he thought, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him! But first¡ the twins.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s a messed up idea.¡±
¡°What? We were told that they¡¯re fair game.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t like it, this isn¡¯t what they¡¯re meant for.¡±
¡°Do you know what they¡¯re meant for? They¡¯re not even human.¡±
¡°Fine, but she¡¯s mine.¡±