Changing the Future

Chapter 2

A week after my birthday, I moved in with Mrs. Jones – sorry, Selena or Mom – and my life couldn't be going better. Sure, I was still bullied at school by Holly and Carol, but none of that mattered as I got to return to my favorite place in the world after school.

I helped Selena out in the bookstore after school, and when no one was in the store, I was free to read as many books as I wanted. I know, a paradise, right?

I should've known something would go wrong soon, and it came in the form of Mr. Jones. He didn't necessarily care about my existence in his household, but he and Selena would have heated arguments late at night, when I was supposed to be sleeping.

"What are you thinking?" I overheard him screaming at Selena one night. "This is a dangerous game you're playing. Even the scribe agrees that this is too dangerous to be messing with!"

"She is the one who is destined to save them all," Selena fired back in her perpetual calm tone, never raising her voice. "I am positive of this."

"How? How can you be so sure this won't backfire on you?"

"I will train the girl myself. She will be powerful beyond all shadow of a doubt. Under my guidance, she will set things right."

"You're crazy," Mr. Jones decided, a tone of finality in his voice. "We'll discuss this more later."

I had scrambled back to my room just in time to hear his footsteps echo outside my door before the door to their room slammed shut. I pulled up my covers and turned to face the wall, pretending to be asleep as Selena entered my room, releasing a gentle sigh.

She sat on my bed and brushed my hair away from my face. "I never wanted to bring this fate upon anyone," she said softly, still stroking my hair. "But it must be done."

0o0o

That night, after the argument, Selena began closing the store earlier than normal, choosing to shift the hours from eight to six rather than from eight to nine. I quickly found out why, as once we closed shop, we walked to an abandoned warehouse with a blue mountain logo spray painted into the metal walls.

"What's going on?" I asked, following Selena as she pushed a few buttons and the lights sprung to life, leaving the room illuminated as brightly as a clear summer day.

"We must begin your training," Selena told me solemnly, clearing out a patch on the ground of about twenty feet in diameter. She then crouched down to long box, about seven feet in length, and opened the lid, the hinges screeching as if they were being tortured.

Imagine to my horror when I saw that the box was full to the brim of weapons that belonged in the middle ages. Swords, maces, knives, daggers, and many other dangerous things filled the box. Selena then walked over to another box and opened it as well, revealing full body armor. It was bronze and clearly built for a female by the way that the breastplate had been designed, but what surprised me the most was that the bronze was gleaming brightly instead of being tarnished like the armor you'd find in a museum.

"Go ahead," Selena said, gesturing towards the box-o-weapons. "Take your pick."

"You're crazy!" I said, backing away from my new guardian and inching my way closer to the door. "No way am I going to join whatever medieval cult this is!"

Selena merely sighed, grabbed me by the wrist, and dragged me back into the mini-arena she had made. She closed her eyes and held her hand over the box, as if expecting for the right weapon to fly into her hand. Sure enough, a sword about three feet long flew directly into her hand without disturbing any of the other weapons.

"What was in that omelet?" I muttered to myself, rubbing my eyes to see if they were deceiving me. Sadly, they were not, and there was Selena holding a sword for me to grab.