The Spirit Guardians Book 1: Enlightened

Chapter 6

Cassie was surprised how well she adjusted in the following week. The dark bruise on her forehead faded in a few days' time, erasing her stubborn mistake. She returned back to training with Marc and Miguel and worked herself harder than she ever had before.

Each morning, she'd beat the clock and Marc by one minute. He had been surprised the first morning that she'd strode out of her bedroom already dressed for the day before he had even come to woke her. She'd eat a small and nutritious breakfast before training until lunchtime. Cassie was glad for this routine, as it made the days almost seem normal. She felt like she was back at school again with scheduled activities planned each day.

Perhaps the process seemed normal to Cassie, but she knew deep down that her lifestyle was nowhere near normal anymore. Whatever life she had lived ten days ago was gone, sucked up by her newfound destiny.

She wondered what was happening back at home. Were the faces of her and her family taped to lightpoles? Were police investigating? Were her friends crying? Was there even a house for her to go home to?

Each night Cassie willed herself to believe that she'd soon be reunited with her family, even though this hope shrunk with every passing day. Marc had promised she'd see them again, but she was growing antsy as she waited for her spirit to appear.

In the meantime, Cassie did her best to get along well with the others. She and Marc had not fought since, disregarding minor disagreements. Conny and Lillian were always willing to talk to her. Even Irene wasn't as cold to her, though she and Miguel still didn't seem too happy with her presence in the house. Of course the baby liked her as well. Elijah's face always curled into a smile whenever she walked by.

Even with this tiny bit of satisfaction, Cassie knew she would never truly be content until she was reunited with her family. She would make sure they were all safe and in good hands. These were the thoughts that ran through her brain before bed each night.

Now, however, Cassie tossed and turned in her sleep, visions haunting her.

Take my hand. The words were coming out of her mouth without her saying them. Something warm grasped onto her when suddenly she woke with a jolt.

Not again, she thought to herself. She had thought that weird dream had been a one-time experience. Either way, she forced herself up and headed to the kitchen. Conny was sipping on a glass of orange juice as she entered, and he wished her a "good morning" as she entered.

"Morning," Cassie replied, preparing a breakfast of whole wheat toast and a glass of apple juice.

"How's training?" Conny wondered as she took a seat at the table. "I realized I haven't asked about it."

"It's getting better," Cassie admitted. "Marc and Miguel are good teachers, even if they're strict. My muscles aren't as sore as before, and that awful bruise is finally gone."

Conny chuckled. "I don't remember enjoying my training days that much. But it'll be worth it eventually."

Cassie nodded and took a sip of apple juice. She swirled the cup, watching the liquid splash against the sides.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your parents?" Cassie asked.

Conny sighed. "Well, Marc doesn't really like me talking about it..."

"Sorry. I understand. It's too personal," Cassie muttered as she took a bite of toast. She was embarrassed that she even asked.

"It's okay. It's just not something we like to remember. It was a normal night, and we'd just finished dinner—"