King Gnah

11-ANYA KING

Fire.

The one thing that took it all from me.

My parents died in a fire when I was nine. No one, even at home, knows that. Louis Gnah was a friend of my father. They went on fishing trips and played football all the time. For a bunch of old men, it was fascinating watching them tackle each other and act like kids.

My mother was like a ghost in my life; she was quiet, peaceful, and you could go the whole day without seeing her. I still remember how beautiful she was. Jet black hair that I inherited, with big grey eyes that had specks of gold. My father adored her and reminded me how much we looked alike.

I hated that.

I never wanted to be like her. She was weak, gullible and naive. I wanted to be like my father. Wanted. In the past. 

The day we were attacked, I saw what my father had seen in my mother. A war angel. It took about twenty of the men who came to attack us to make a dent in her. I realised then that she was never the things I thought she was. She was always like that because she wanted to watch and not be noticed, like a spy of some sort.

Everything about that night is blurry, but I know Louis was weeping next to me when I came too. Our house is on fire along with the forest around it. I had two words with me then...like an instinct; serve and protect.

It took a lot of research and reading to find out that that was what Seekers' instincts tell them when their power manifests. That also meant that my mother, who carried the Seeker gem in her, had died, and it passed on to me.

I had not wept for my parents before then, so the shock of the truth pushed me over the edge. Still, no one knows this except Maggie, the butler, and if Louis lived, he would know too.

I only brought this up so that you can get the backstory to my deeds. I have trained and conditioned myself to be ready for battle even in the most awkward times. I am ready now.

I normally get from people that I move so fast that I cannot be detected until after my passage. I guess that was because it was the truth. I did not think at that moment and just went for the kill.

I hit him, or so I thought.

He blocked it.

That pissed me off even more. In a split second, I found an opening and countered my attack. I aimed for the liver this time. He did not catch that one and crouched down holding himself. Before I could land another one, he was up again.

His eyes were calm and determined.

That was the problem. The last time I fought Gale, he had anger and bloodlust radiating out of him. I know that that is the dumbest reason to hesitate in a fight, but I was not sure anymore.

All that thinking I did in one second. Next, I saw the world spin. He effortlessly knocked me out. The last thing I heard was Kenny yelling my name and hitting someone, and everything went blank.

I blinked once. The room I was in was dark. The second time, the light came on. I snapped awake immediately and sat up in my spot.

Upon scanning the room, I noticed that I was at the school's clinic. This just could not be the nurse's office.

"You finally came too." I heard a voice that belonged to no other.

Without looking, I knew the person was by the window. "I'm gonna kill you. And I'm going to make sure it's slow and—"

"Painful?" he interrupted me. I had no time to say anything else before he continued, "You see, Anya, I get tired of people getting me wrong here. I don't know how many enemies my family made, but I will say this one thing."

When he paused, I looked at him to finish. I was already irritated as it was. Then I froze. This was not a gale. This boy had a golden glow to his eyes—not red. And he just had a different energy aura to him.

"My name is Gary. I do apologise for my brother's misdeeds towards the Gnah family." Was all he said.

"But..." I racked my brains for something to say, but ended up with one question, "How?"

Gary paced the room as if looking for ways to explain it. "Well...my aunt has told me so much about you and the Gnah family. My brother was the assassin that night, and after Auntie's warnings, he still had the guts to attack you people." He paused suddenly and looked at me sternly, "He died the same night that Louis did. She punished him for disobeying orders."

I was confused. Who was she?

As if seeing my predicament, he spelt it out. His answer shocked me, so I jumped so high off my bed that I nearly face planted on the floor.

"Margret Williams, aka Maggie." He said. My Maggie? The one who trained me to fight and held me when I had nightmares. That one?

"She's my father's only sister. She ran away from him and dropped his name." Gale sighed. "You should go to your friends now. I had to bribe the nurse to kick them out so we could talk. It was an honour talking to a King. Oh, and I am a fan of yours, if you believe that. Good night."

And with that, he walked out of the room.

That little cockroach. 

I signed myself out of the clinic, threw away the drugs I was given (I don't take pain killers) and headed to my chaotic abode.

I did not even reach the door handle when Seth tackled me. He is so small for a guy his age, but he has a grip that got me scared that I would wake up in that hospital bed again. He was not alone, Stacy jumped me too, then Caleb, Andy, Willow, Ray and John. Only Kenny looked guiltily at the sight.

I could tell why. He's blaming himself again.

"Gonna watch me die here?" I asked him. He seemed to loosen up and drag everyone off of me. Good.

"Well, aren't you a happy bunch!"

Hold on. I looked at Kenny to tell me what was happening, and he just shrugged. I looked back at the owner of the statement.

"Close your mouth, Anya, a fly might enter." Said Maggie.