The Spirit Guardians Book 1: Enlightened

Chapter 2

Cassie was trapped in a swarm of pain and darkness. Both had swallowed her up completely and were trapping her there. She could not escape the shadows that chased her. . Each time she reached closer and closer to the light, it never came. The pain in her side grew excruciating, and she wondered if that was what death felt like. Her whole body grew hot as the flames enveloped over her.

But the pain slowly faded, her body temperature decreased, and the world that had gone so dark was finally becoming clear and light again. She was no longer gasping for breath. Her muscles were relaxed. Her heart was beating steadily.

Cassie's eyes at last finally opened. She awoke in a small wooden bed with white sheets piled on top of her. Her vision was blurred, but one glance made her realize she was not in her home. Everything was unrecognizable.

As her vision began to clear, she realized that something, no, someone, was peering over her. A boy around her age was leaning close to her. He had olive skin, dark brown hair that almost looked black, and striking green eyes.

She felt bits of his breath as he let out a long exhale. "Are you..." His voice trailed off, but he reached his hand forward toward her face.

Adrenaline took its course in Cassie. She widened her eyes, attempting to sit up so she could escape this mysterious place.

"Careful," he said, gently lowering her back into the pillow. She struggled, but the comfort of lying down took over her body. "You're wounded."

The dull pain lingering in her side reminded her of the past events. Her family...the people...that dark night in the woods. She had hoped it had all been a dream.

"Who the hell are you?!" she asked, assuming he had been one of the people who had attacked her and her family.

For some reason, he looked a bit hurt at this question. He opened his mouth to speak, but she was already following up with more questions.

"Where am I? What is this place? How did you find me? Where are my parents?"

"One question at a time," he ordered. "I saved your life, you know."

"Who were those people?" Cassie whispered, relaxing now that she knew he was not going to harm her.

"Okay. We're going to start out simple, so I'll start out with the first question. My name is Marcus Haddad, but I go by Marc."

Cassie nodded, glad to have a name, but still suspicious.

"I'm—"

"I already know who you are. You're Cassandra Black," he muttered, finally moving away from her and sitting down in the wooden stool that had been pulled to her bedside.

She froze. "How do you..."

"What, do you think I just rescue girls whenever I feel like it?" Marc asked.

"Why was I in danger?"

Marc took in a deep breath. "Uh, there's a lot that needs explanation, so I'll just casually lay out the truth for you. You're a spiritkeeper, Cassandra."

Cassie tilted her head, never hearing of that word before.

"First of all, I go by Cassie, and secondly, what?"

"I know you're confused. It's going to take a lot of explaining. Spiritkeepers are connected to the Guardians," Marc continued.

"The what?"

"The Guardians are spiritual creatures, gods of sorts, that represent a particular human emotion. Each spiritkeeper holds one spirit of the Guardians in them."