The Eons: Book One

The Eons-Chapter One:

Darkness was consuming me. Wrapping around me like the cold hands of death. Shadows of memories I had lost  flickered playfully across my mind. Why couldn’t I remember anything? Suddenly there was a flash of white light and I was staring up at a pristine blue sky clustered with white clouds like marshmallows, blocked only by the earthy greenness of the pine trees.

I tried to sit up but I wasn’t very successful. A burning pain in my head prevented me from doing much of anything anyway. I instead tried desperately to remember anything. I looked at my hair. it was not your average hair for a 14 year old girl. I was born with auburn hair that was flecked with spots where the auburn melted into black white or grey. Okay so I could remember two things: the color of my hair when I was born and how old I am. I looked around me for the first time, maybe my surroundings would bring back memories. I noticed that just down the hill there was a house,a simple brick house with hand-painted window sills and a newly shingled black roof. It looked homely, but it brought back no memories. Two shadowy figures  emerged from behind the houses curtained french doors. “Hey are you alright?” The first young male voice asked leading his companion up the hill. “I......I don’t know,” I stuttered. They stepped into the clean light of the forest and I looked over them once, did I even know these people? One of them had unruly white hair that he’d grown out over his eyes, while the other had short clean cut red hair and green-yellow eyes. “Hi my name is Ari,  Ari Aswari,” the red haired boy said. He looked me over probably trying to see if I was hurt. “There is a pain in my head so bad it hinders me from moving at all,” I said uncertainly. “Let me look at it,” the one with the white hair said. “Oh and by the way my name is Char, no last name just Char,” he said turning my head over, so i was facing a forest floor. I winced when he touched the knot on my head. “I think it’s best you come inside with us and let me put some ice on your head and get you something to eat,” Char said. How bad would it be if I accepted a little hospitality? “Okay,” I said rather warily. There was no way I was going to let these complete strangers take advantage of me. The two of them lifted me up on my feet and walked me back to the brick house in between them. Ari opened the door and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table for me. Char walked to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack, wrapped it in a washcloth and handed it to me for my head. “So how old are you guys? Don’t you have parents or something?” I asked trying to break the silence. They eyed each other and Finally Ari answered, “We are both 15 and our other friend Ash is 16, all of our parents fought a war together and died, so we live on our own.” “I am  so sorry,” I said. Ari fell silent as a remorseful look swept over his face. “I think you need some rest and then once you feel better perhaps a nice hot shower?” Char asked helping me out of the chair. “Yes but I don’t want to outstay my welcome,” I replied as he showed me to a room painted forest green with a bed that looked so comfy I couldn’t resist just one nap.”Believe me,” Char said closing the curtains, the last thing you are doing is outstaying your welcome.” I had no clue what he meant by that but at that moment I didn’t care this was the first night I could remember that I was going to sleep in an actual bed.   

*~*~*~*~*

I woke up and I remembered where I was. It was late afternoon and the clock, which I hadn’t even noticed was there, read 4:00. I sat up slowly, the pain was lessening every time I woke up. I gently pushed myself up into a standing position and grabbed the white robe hanging on the back of my door. This seemed a little creepy, taking a shower in a strangers house, but I found a note from Char on the door: Dear Specks (Seeing as I don’t know your name I am referring to your hair) It’s about 3:45 and you’ve been sleeping for a day and a half so I thought you might be waking up soon. I took the guys out to a football game, we should be back in about 2 hours so you can shower in peace. -Char-

Well that clears up one issue but i don’t know my name either so I probably won’t be much help there. I meandered down a hallway towards the door at the end. Upon opening it I found a decent sized bathroom that was all marble and had a cubicle shower with two curtains and a granite bathtub. I started the water in the shower and let it get nice and melt-your-face-off-hot. After washing my hair and scrubbing all the dirt off my body I turned off the water and went to the mirror where I waited for the condensation to clear. I was brushing out my hair not really paying attention to the mirror but when I looked up I screamed. I had wings, I had freaking wings! I had wings that matched the color of my hair and standing there in three strangers bathroom in a towel my memories  came rushing back.

I was young when my own parents died. Lord Kamenwati had just begun his reign has dictator of the Horrors(Eons turned evil). My parents were part of the King’s EXERCITUS PHYLARCHES which were fighting against Kamenwati’s impending dictatorship. A young Eon from Saudi Arabia named Waseem Maddox came to lead the armies. He and my parents became good friends and he even promised to teach me how to use the Gothic battle knives he bought me for my 6th birthday. Then there was a raid on Cestmir, the Eon’s main fortress and all three of my protectors were brutally murdered. Waseem was tortured before he died and he accidentally gave away a secret that had been kept for 10 years; me.  Kamenwati sent teams of Horrors out in search for me but I had run, and that is what I have been doing with the past four years of my life.

I was hit with the sudden realization that I had to get out of this house. If Char or Ari knew they would think I was crazy, some kind of freak. I pulled the robe on and headed swiftly down the hallway. The clock on my bedside table read 5:40. The guys were going to be home soon. I jumped into some clothes not really stopping to question how a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt just my size appeared when I needed them. I found my old shoes by the door and pulled my feet into them lacing them as quickly as possible. I rushed out of my room and saw the french doors open so I popped into a small hallway. “We are going to have to tell her what we are Ash,” Ari said. I remembered them telling me about their other friend. “We can’t she will laugh in our faces and call us freaks, everyone does,” a male voice belonging to the boy they called Ash. “Perhaps she is one of us,” Char said. “We can’t just assume that every girl that we meet is an Eon. She fell out of a 40 foot tree and hit her head we barely know her I doubt she will stay,” Ash replied. I stepped into view, taking a deep, shaking breath. “This might sound crazy to you guys but, I.......um, I have wings and I heard you say this word that normal people don’t know so I had this weird thought that maybe you all are Eons too,” I said literally shaking. “So what is your name since you know all of ours?” Ash had this expectantly pleased look on his face. “Falcon Mirabella.” There was a silence working its way into every crack and corner of the space.

That night at dinner there was laughter and jokes and we talked of our parents and Waseem. The discussion turned to weaponry and Char and I fell silent. “Hey Falcon, what’s your weapon of choice?” Ari asked tipping his chair back jovially. “Well I only have one weapon so I guess it would have to be my Gothic Throwing Knives,” I said quietly. “That takes some skill when you are flying,” Ari said. There was a deep burning in my cheeks that turned my face the color of my hair. “Did I say something?” Ari asked looking around the room. “I can’t fly,” I said rather embarrassed. Have you ever heard of a bird that can’t fly? No. “Well then it will be up to us to teach you,” Ash said continuing to eat. “You mean I can stay? You guys aren’t totally creeped out by having a girl in the house?” I asked. “No I think it was time a girl showed up, it’s not so bad if she’s a bird hybrid either,” Ari said laughing.

That night I left the boys in the basement and was ascending the stairs to the little green room when Char ran up to me. “Since you are now part of whatever this household is turning out to be you may have your choice of any room in the house,” Char said pointing to the hallway where I’d hidden and for the first time I noticed a stairwell. I walked up the stairs and looked around a bit. I finally found it. It was the room at the very top of the house and it had a window overlooking the huge British Columbian forests.

I was just finished changing when a heard feet ascending the stairs. The door next to mine opened and I wondered who I would be sharing the connecting bathroom with. I knocked on the bathroom door and opened it when I heard no reply. I brushed my teeth and yawned. I looked up into the mirror and realized Ari was standing right behind me. “Oh I am so sorry I knocked and no one answered so I just came in,” I said embarrassed out of my mind. “No actually it’s fine I just walked into the bathroom I didn’t knock, so you picked the skylight room, nice choice. Sleep well Falcon,” Ari said so calmly like this happens every night. This was going to take some getting used to. I closed my bathroom door and leapt into my bed, falling into a blissful sleep.