Amity

Chapter 10: The Truth

He was not human.

And yet, the more he thought about it, the more things, the more they made sense. McManus healing Dré with water from his hands. The fruit that he made Dré eat. Their parents making Isaiah and him take up sword fighting. Even Dré and Isaiah's eyes. He glanced at Megumi out of the corner of his eye, realizing that Toney's confession may be the reason why Megumi's hair and eyes were so abstract from the norm as well.

Finally, Megumi spoke up, her voice hollow. "So, you've lied to me about this? About my life?"

"We had to," Tiffany had said, dejected. "The safety of both the human and our race depends on us living in secrecy."

"But why?" Dré asked. "Why can't we just tell humanity that we exist?"

Abigail answered, "Because, if we tell them about us, there's a great chance that they'll see us as a threat and try to destroy us or enslave us for our powers. They can't even live peacefully with their own kind, so what chance would we have?"

"I guess you have a point," he mumbled to himself. "So, wait, if we aren't human, then what are we?"

"You are of a guardian race called the Amians," Toney began. "Just like us, you all hail from the planet Amity, brought here for the sole purpose to protect the planet Earth in secret from the reaches of an ancient evil named Aggaron the Dark."

"Aggaron the Dark?" Megumi asked.

Nodding, Toney continued. "As you may or may not know, there have been some strange happenings in the world as of late. Crime is abnormally high in this region and the culprits, more often than not, had blood-red marking tattooed on them. Coincidence? To the naked eye, yes. However, both Tiffany and I, as well as Raheem and Abigail, have seen these marking from those who have made a wish with Aggaron. See, he uses his dark magic to make their deepest wishes come true. In return, he gets their freedom. But you'll learn about him soon enough, I'm sure. Anyway, the markings are called the Hell-Seal Tattoos, runes made by your own blood that not only shows that you made a pact with Aggaron, but also control your mind whenever he sees fit. Question?" he asked as Dré's hand shot up.

"I'm still confused. What exactly are Amians?"

"I'm glad you asked." Toney reached into his jean pockets and pulled out a small, red bag. "Inside of this bag contains our means of traveling to our home planet, Amity." He ripped the top off, poured jelly bean-sized honey drops into the palm of his hand, and passed the bag down the line. "All of your questions will be answered shortly once you get there. Before you eat it, make sure you state the location that you want to go, and it'll transport you there via waypoints. For example, Reiax Academy gates." He popped the candy in his mouth. His dark blue eyes closed as he leaned backward, but before he landed to the ground, his body evaporated like a thin mist.

Tiffany, Raheem, Abigail, Loyalty, and Joel each followed Toney's directions and vanished the same as he, leaving Isaiah, Dré, and Megumi in the house alone. Isaiah turned to his brother and Megumi. "Look, I know that this is a lot to take in. It was for me too. Once you get to the city, you'll probably be glad that you're Amian." He popped the candy in his mouth, vanishing before Dré could get a word in.

Then, it was only the two of them. They glanced at each other for a quick moment, allowing everything to marinate. "Well," Dré began, "what do you think?"

"You mean about knowing that everything I know is a lie? Or the fact that there is a whole world out there that was hidden from me?"

"It's not all bad, though." Dré looked up at the ceiling, clutching the candy piece in his hand. "I mean, yeah, there's a whole world out there that's hidden from us, but that means that we have a whole new world to explore. Don't forget, my mom did say that we have powers, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "And I guess it does explain Peek-a-Boo." Her face hardened as she inhaled through her nose. "Well, we're not going to find anything out by just sitting here. If Daddy wants us to follow them, then we should." She swallowed the candy, evaporating like the rest of their families.

Dré was all alone. True, Toney told them that their questions will be answered when they get there, but he wasn't sure if he'd like the answers. Once he found out about this new life, he was certain that everything would change for him, for better or worse. But what would change? He was filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety as he unclenched his fist, looking at the golden-yellow piece of candy giving off a dull reflection of the chandelier lights like a piece of amber.

A small, furry head nudged his ankle, bringing him back to reality. He looked down, seeing a ginger cat looking up at him with large, green eyes. "You must be Peek-a-Boo." She meowed at him before nudging him again. "Okay, okay, I'm going," he told the kitten as he took in a deep breath. Swallowing his fear, he hesitantly stated, "Tally ho. Reiax Academy gates."

He placed the candy in his mouth, allowing the sweetness of the honey drop to explode in his mouth. He felt calm. Too calm, as if he were in an angel's embrace. Seconds after he swallowed the candy, his eyelids felt as though they were made of lead. He felt the floor under him shift as he fell. His body seemed to jet into the sky once his eyes closed shut.