Gates of the Unknown

Chapter Twelve

"You can stop hiding now, sweetie." I shyly step out. "Everyone this is Davi. Davi, meet everyone." The two couples in the room stand up. "I'm James. This is my wife Jesse. And the kid to the left is Sky. They are nonbinary." I smile and greet them. "Hi cutie, I'm Jerry and this is my husband Mitchell. The kid to the right is Starlight. She is trans FTM." I greet them as well. "Lastly we have Joe, my husband, Joshua, Tammy, and Chelsea. We have one more in the coven but she stays with her family on the other side of the city as she is the co-leader with me." I nod and Tammy rushes up to me and tries to hug me but I push her back. "Please don't touch me..." I mutter out. She nods and calms down. "Sorry, Kiddo, you're just so cute!" I give a shy smile. "Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone." I nod. "My name is Davi Rayne. I'm twelve years old. I go by her and sometimes they. I'm a huge nerd that loves watching kid shows and reading to my heart's content." Flooding comments were thrown about. "Finally another nerd! We are so reading Harry Potter together." Jesse speaks up with a huge grin. I stare at her for a second before agreeing to read with her. I start to rub my head as I feel a headache coming on. Jerry came up to me and asked if I was ok. "Well, I'm getting a headache. That and I'm very tired." He nodded in response. "Well, kid, I can show you where you will be sleeping. Luckily we have a few spare rooms in the house. Do you want to be on the third floor or first floor?" I pick the first and he nods. "Hey, babe you mind getting this kid food, a drink, and some Ibuprophen? She will be in the room next to us anyways." Mitchell nods and goes into a different room. 

"Here kid, follow me." I follow Jerry as he leads me up two flights of stairs and to the third floor. He opens the last room on the left. It was already decked out in a more mature style. The color of the room was a deep blue and silver. Everything was all matchy-matchy. There was a dresser with a Tv on it. There was a desk with a fold-up mirror on it. And there were quite a few lamps despite having a ceiling light and fan. I notice I have a personal bathroom and a small walk-in closet. I yawn and move the bed covers and sit up on the bed. I look for the remote and find something to watch. I soon find Tom and Jerry on the TV and begin to watch it.

Halfway through the third episode, Mitchell comes in with a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. "Here you go, doll. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, sweet tea, and some Ibuprophen. Enjoy." He says and hugs me before secretly passing me a fresh-looking cookie. "Shh. Athena doesn't know I took one for you. Though she probably won't notice." I giggle and he leaves. I eat almost everything and ate the cookie last. The tea was refreshing. So good, I think to myself. I take the Ibuprophen and lay down. I turn the tv on piano music and fall into a calm sleep for the first time in years.

.     .     .     .     .      .

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*BANG*

I slam my hand on the alarm clock. Why couldn't they let me sleep in today? I hear a knock on the door. "Davi. You need to get up. We still have the rest of the tour to do." I hear the door open. I peek out from the covers and see Athena. "Sorry. Didn't sleep well. I kept waking up throughout the night." She looks concerned. "Well I can let you sleep in but then you'd miss breakfast and-" I cut her off. "Breakfast? Why didn't you say so?! I love breakfast!" I jump out of the bed. "Let me get dressed and I'll be right down" She lets out a soft laugh. "How about you go change and I'll teleport us down?" my eyes grow wide and I nod and rush to get dressed. I pick out a thin dark blue sweater, black jeggings, and the only pair of boots I have. I do my normal bathroom routine and walk back into my room and grab Athena's hand. In seconds we were in the kitchen. And it was HUGE. There was a long table with 13 seats but since we were the last to arrive there were four seats left. Oh, I see what they did there. I look around. There are two stoves and a double sink. There is also a dishwasher, mini-oven, and air fryer. The walls were painted a pastel yellow and blue stripes. "So kiddo what do you want for breakfast? We have a lot since everyone here is different." Tammy asks. "Well oatmeal with peaches and bacon." The kids give me weird looks. "Why do you like oats. That's for old people." Sky remarks. "Well, I find it tasty and it's healthy. Besides have you ever had oatmeal." They went quiet at that. "Play nice kids. Davi, no need for an attitude. Sky, don't be so close-minded everyone here is different." I hear Athena say from behind me. We both apologize and finish eating in peace. 

After we eat Athena calls me into the room with Tammy, Chelsea, and a stranger. "Now you may have gotten in easily. We need to do a safety exam to make sure you're not hurting or anything." I sigh. "Well, first let me introduce you to Xiomara or Mara for short. She is the psychiatrist of the group. She usually goes through the physical and mental exams for newbies." I nod and introduce myself to her. "Ok Davi. I will need you to strip for me." I nod and take off my shirt and pants. "Now, I'm going to examine your body and check for marks." She used her magic and all my black self-harm scars and the scars from the whipping appeared along with the handprints on my hips and thighs. "Oh, dear. What happened to you my flower?" I sigh and tell them the story of my life from when I lived in slavery and when I was raped twice. I didn't talk much about self-harm. "We won't push you to talk about the scars on your thighs. But I will leave this open. If you ever want to talk about what's bothering you we will be there for you." I smile. "Thanks, Mara, thanks Aunti A. You're the best." I hug them both and say, "I will, promise." With a small grin. 

"Before we leave. How many times did you get raped?" I sigh at Mara's question. "Twice. Though I feel the second time was my fault I me-" I get cut off by Auntie A. "No. None of that is your fault. That I can promise." She hugs me tightly. Her embrace reminds me of motherly love. Like Stella was. I frown sadly at the thought of Stella. I hug Auntie A tighter. "Ok kid. One thing about the black marks. They are a symbol of a challenge won. Which it means its good unless you die from it. It's like Maui. Each black mark is a challenge you've overcome. We need to start your training soon so you can control your powers. Cause once they activate it won't end well if you can't control it. So be careful." Chelsea says. "I'll have James do her physical and self-defense training. Tammy, you're in charge of magic training. Chelsea, you need to cook her meals with plenty of vitamins and nutrients." They both nod and I yawn. "Go get something to eat and just relax today. Tomorrow starts your training." I nod and hug Auntie A before going to the kitchen and getting some Cheeto Puffs and a 20oz Diet Coke. I get to my room and just chill around. I put music on the TV and pull out a book that I got late last night. It's called 'Gods and Goddesses: A Guide to Them All'. It's about the gods and some of their popular stories. Like Eros the goddess of love. The most famous story of hers is about how she cursed mankind to stop being selfish and love another being. Which is where we got soul mates. A fascinating read if I say so myself. I don't know how long I was reading but soon it was dark and I put up the book and ate before laying down. The anxiety is hurting my chest. I slowly fall into an alert and anxious sleep.