I walked down the deserted streets with the scorching sun glaring down on me. The sweat from the heat was dripping into my eyes as I struggled to see the grey path that stretched out before me. I managed to find a lonely bench that would provide me with the comfort to rest my sore legs that bravely carried me four blocks of suburban housing. I rested my heavy head on the cold brick wall behind me and let my thoughts drift to a better place.
I was barely able to relax for two minutes before my phone began vibrating in the pocket of my black tight jeans. I pulled it out and answered it with an exhausted greeting.
“Hi Acacia, this is Mr Hawk from work. I’m calling to inform you that you no longer work for this company. I’m sorry but we’re letting you go”, my boss said in a very formal tone. This was probably hard for him as he and my mother have been best friends since high school. I hoped that he would let me off the hook at least once but, after all, he still has a supermarket to run.
“May I ask why?” I said. I already knew the answer but, still reaching, I hoped he would weaken and give me another chance.
“Acacia, you haven’t turned up for work in two days and you only just started. I’m sorry but you have given me no choice”, he said.
“It’s okay. I understand”, I told him kindly so he would feel better when pushing the red button on his cell.
“Thank you and goodbye”, he sighed in relief until all I could hear was the sound of one beep after another.
After hanging up the phone and shutting my eyes for a little while longer, I realised the streets were as quiet as a mouse. Had I only just noticed this now? I stood up and walked one hundred metres up the street and one hundred metres back down the street. After looking in every deserted shop I realised I had just walked into a cruel trap.
“Hello sister”, I heard him taunt behind me as if he had heard my every thought. I turned around to see Oliver standing in the middle of the cracked road and his head tilted questionably.
“What have you done to the people who work and live on this street?” I demanded to know. He chuckled as if it truly was something hilarious. However, just as quickly he stopped laughing, smiling and revealing any expression at all.
“I disposed of them so we could have a chat”, he paused for a moment. “…or you can scream and I can kill you… again”.
I swallowed loudly as I took in the situation. These people did nothing to deserve having their life end so quickly. Oliver had killed everyone on this entire street so he could kill yet another person. How could I have let this happen? Suddenly I noticed Oliver holding a long sword that looked as if it had been dipped in gold. He caught me staring at his reliable weapon and smirked.
“Recognise this?” he teased.
“Where – Where did you get that?” I asked him in fear. It was the same sword from my vision. I couldn’t be absolutely sure but it was the same shape; it had the most elegant handle I had ever seen and the blade was more threatening as a kitchen knife after being sharpened to its true potential.
“Well sister, I got it from dear old mummy”, he said as he studied the blade.
“If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you”, I retaliated. My words stunned him and myself. I had no idea where those words came from. I had never thought killing anyone before. I looked at my end of my shoes horrified. Oliver must have pulled himself together quickly as he started speaking almost straight away.
“Your mother is fine. I didn’t hurt her… much. I only hurt her enough to find out where she stashed the bloody sword. Don’t you worry your pretty destined head about that”, he said. “You know, I would love to stay and chit-chat but father has plans and I need to kill you before he can make his move. So if you don’t mind I would like to move this along”, he almost growled at me as he took long strides toward me until he was almost close enough to plunge the sword into my chest when the man who saved me before was about to do the same again. One second ago there was no one in this entire street except for Oliver and I and then he comes out of nowhere to protect me. He stood in a protective stance in front of me and moved his hands into a position as if he were holding a ball that grew bigger and bigger until he threw it at Oliver. Even though there was nothing in his hands, Oliver was thrown back at least fifty metres. As I watched it in slow motion in my mind I realised he had just used thrown a ball of energy as did the soldiers in my vision. It was all true. Everything Katell told me was true.
Oliver stood up and began doing the same but differently. He raised his hands in the air and I could see the hot rays of the sun creating a ball of fire in his hands. He threw the ball as hard as he could at my rescuer and he too was thrown back from the force of the element but hurt more than Oliver as his skin was singed. However, by the time he stood up he was healed. How could this be?
“Kadar, how nice of you to join us” Oliver said coldly with a grin on his face. Wait a minute. This man was Kadar? Kadar was the word that the old man used his last breath to say before he died. “This is kind of ironic don’t you think? I was the person pretending to be her brother and here you are, her real brother, protecting her from me. I know I’m not going to get my hands on her while you’re here but just so you know I don’t surrender. I’m ceasing fire. See you soon” Oliver said quietly with a tiny smile on his face before walking away. We waited for him to be completely out of sight before talking.
“You’re my brother? How could you not tell me?!” I yelled angrily. He raised his hand calmly to prevent me from continuing. I pushed his hand away with force.
“No, you have no right to tell me to shut up. You tell me I can see people’s auras and don’t even explain how I am alive when I just received a lovely silver bullet in my chest. Then you say that the old man was my biological father!” I finished and breathed while looking down at the cracked road. He sighed and tilted his head.
“I apologise. I should explain everything. However, truthfully I do not know everything. This is why we must go and speak with Katell together”, he said. I lifted my head at his last words.
“Wait a minute. How do you know Katell?” I asked feeling stupid. How could I not see that they were allies?
“Her ancestors were survivors of the war eleven thousand years ago and they passed down the story through the generations so that when it was time, they could help you”, he said. Everything and everyone in my life was linked together in some way as a result of this war. My destiny was to stop this war and now I had to fulfil it.
“Let’s go then”, I said and started walking back toward the library. It took Kadar a moment to process my new attitude and start walking with me.
