The Teacher

The Teacher: Part I Unchained, Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

SAFELY IN THE CAR, MY MIND was racing to process what had just happened. I didn't have any clear recollection of what went on after I opened the bedroom door. I did remember, however, what I'd seen just before going blank and I cringed assuming the same thing happened to me.

"Holden, I'm so sore down there, but I don't want to believe what the pain is telling me."

"This is no excuse for what we did. You'll soon experience the urge that made us hurt you, so I better tell you all about it now so you'll understand."

"What are you talking about?"

"The intensity of the Guardian's energy you've been thriving on, you remember, after the ceremony at the church, will begin to fade and when it does you'll start to feel weak and sick. We can only have those special ceremonies at certain times during the year, so in between we have to nourish ourselves by feeding on others, but not our own kind, on the others...the mortals."

"Feeding on them...what are you talking about?"

"How are you feeling right now?"

"Sick...and completely exhausted."

"Part of the reason you're so drained is that before I realized it was you we were feeding on you...your soul. Right now we can access the energy we need from the bonds that form during physical intimacy, but that could change."

"Are you telling me that all three of you had me just now? How could you...Holden, how could you have allowed that to happen?"

I broke down, sobbing. What had I gotten myself into? Even Holden was shaking his head, never imagining that a serious mistake like this could ever happen on his watch.

"Once the feeding begins, it's not something we can easily control. I'm so...so sorry, but as you know, physically you'll heal quickly and when we're in London I'll arrange for you to replenish the energy we took from you. Look, I can see you're wiped out, just close your eyes and put your mind at ease for now. We'll be back at my place soon and you can meditate," he added while giving me a reassuring long hug.

"All right...all right," I replied, not having the strength to continue questioning him or even stay mad at him.

My eyes may have been closed, but I couldn't help but try over and over and over to wrap my mind around what I'd just been through.

IT WAS JUST A PARTY...WE WERE there to have a good time, but the aftermath of indulging in complete abandon was more than I could manage or have ever anticipated. It was my first rave. I'd heard about what went on at raves, but being there, getting caught up in the collective drug-fueled hysteria, took me way past the point of being able to rely on the just-say-no values I'd been raised with. Then, of course, I wasn't really me any more.

What I'd experienced was no ordinary rave—Holden's friends, the Disciples, were there—and I knew the rest of us, including me, were in way over our heads. The Guardian's Disciples don't know the meaning of denying themselves anything they want, any desire, any pleasure, any impulsive act. Not only can they communicate without words, they can invade the will of another person and at their whim, nudge them in a certain direction, or simply take over if the mind games they're playing get boring.

I was just a rookie, a newbie, and as such I was no match for their advanced, more experienced powers. Had Holden just been toying with me all along—letting me think I had some say in what we were doing? When he decided to just take me up in that bedroom, I got a taste, a glimpse of the strong-rule-over-the-weak way they relate to the rest of the world. Those not like them they simply regard as sheep to slaughter at will. Kill or be killed. Rule or serve. Take or be taken.