The Spirit Guardians Book 1: Enlightened

Chapter 7

Crash. Boom.

Cassie awoke with a jolt to hear the pounding of rain against her window. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest, and her breath came out in pants as a flash of lightning lit up her room. She had never been a fan of thunderstorms. She thought that she'd grow out of that childish fear, but she still clutched onto her sheets and quivered as another boom rattled the house.

She laid against her pillow and sighed, placing the covers over her head as another flash of lightning illuminated the room. Unfortunately for her, sleeping through thunderstorms was not her specialty, and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest again until the night became quiet.

Cassie remembered Conny mentioning once that thunderstorms were common for this time of year. She slowly counted her fingers as she recalled the number of days she'd been here now. Fourteen. Two weeks. Yet it felt like an eternity.

Another boom shook the house, and she let out a tiny squeal.

I'm such a coward, she thought as her hot breaths warmed the tiny shelter of blankets she had made for herself. A courage spiritkeeper was definitely off the list.

She'd been having that strange dream again, she realized, as the rain continued to pour. Her memory of it was faint though due to the echo of thunder that had woken her from her slumber. She clenched and unclenched her fist underneath the covers, wondering what it was that she had been reaching for.

It was no use trying to remember now, and it wasn't as if she could get to sleep and continue her dream. She gathered her courage to lean toward her nightstand and turn on a lamp. The room was now a light orange.

Cassie grasped one of the blankets off and wrapped it around her before shuffling to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. She held her knees to her body and watched the rain slam into her window while another bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

She rested her head on the soft cushioning of the chair, listening to the world around her. Eventually, the thunder began to fade, the rain was growing lighter, and her eyes were growing heavier.

...

Her hands search through the air, trying to find something. She has lost the warm face she was trying to find. Her fingers feel cold and bare when they are not in someone else's. She is being dragged away, but her hands keep feeling forward, grabbing, grabbing something...

"Cassie, Cassie."

She reaches her hands forward. Whatever she's reaching for is close.

Cassie came back to the present. Her eyes slowly drifted open, and she jumped to see Marc leaning over her. Her fingers were grasped to his shirt.

She slowly let go and sat up, realizing that it was morning. Her lamp was still on, though the blanket that had covered her had now fallen to her lap.

"Sorry," she murmured. She turned her head, realizing it was already nine in the morning. She hadn't meant to sleep in. "I was kept up by that thunderstorm last night," she offered as an excuse.

"Thunderstorm?"

"Yeah. It shook the whole house," Cassie reminded him.

Marc thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I barely hear them anymore. I slept great. Is there a reason you're asleep in the chair?"

"I was going to get a glass of water," Cassie lied. "Though I suppose exhaustion took over first."

"Well, get ready for training," Marc instructed, exiting her room.

She sighed and began to dress. Her gaze fell to the tree outside, the one that she had now failed to climb twice. Some days only Miguel trained her while some days only Marc did. Miguel wasn't particularly kind during their training sessions, and she was always a lot more sore after, though it looked like today both would be training her.