The Legacy of Love

Chapter 1

I peek my head around the tree I'm pressed against. I see a flash of blonde and my face forms a wide grin. I spin around the tree and hug Sarah from behind, startling her. She hugs my arms and giggles. I rest my head on her shoulder and she opens her mouth to say something but a shrilling scream comes out instead. I spin around to the front of her and our eyes meet. I see fear in her eyes and the look of fading away. I see a dot of red in my peripheral that consistently gets larger and I travel down to see a gaping wound in her abdomen, the blood soaking through her blouse. Her face changes to an expression of pain and she collapses back. I quickly catch her in my arms and fall onto the ground, yelling her name. Tears well up in my eyes and travel down my cheeks. She has trouble breathing but a sense of calm has washed over her and she opens her mouth, stuttering.
"I love you, John." She whispers, and lifts her hand and places it on my cheek, streaked with tears. I place my hand on top of hers and close my eyes, more tears escaping. When I open them again, she's gone. A slight smile painted on her face. I whisper through my tears,
"I love you too.." I lean down and place a soft kiss on her lips and hold her in my arms, cradling her head. I shiver with sobs. All of a sudden, a shadow looms over Sarah's body and I lift my head to see Setrákus Ra standing over me. He opens his disgusting mouth and says in a female voice,
"John?" I feel two, delicate hands placed on my shoulders. My eyes snap open and I see a figure standing in front of me. Terrified by my dream, I shoot back out of instinct and slam against the wall. The figure gasps at my sudden movement and steps into the light. I see Marina's face, stricken with worry. I calm down and place my head in my hands. She approaches with care and quietly sits down next to me.
"Another nightmare?" I lift my head and nod, staying silent.
"What about?" Reluctant to talk about it, I respond quietly.
"Sarah." She says nothing and when I glance over, she's looking down. I can see the sad look on her face and can tell she's thinking about Eight. I reach my hand across and grasp her small hand in mine. She looks up and I give her a look of encouragement and she offers a weak smile in return. She sighs and brushes a strand of hair out of her face. Trying not to bring her mood down with mine, I ask,
"Where's Ella?"
"Outside with BK." I move my gaze towards the entrance to the mountain and see BK fly by in bird form. Ella's laughter fills the air and the scares from my most recent nightmare are wiped away. I'm always sad that Sarah is gone. But ever since Marina and Ella have joined me in the Himalayas, the sadness and the fear don't show as much. Marina stands up and pulls me to my feet. She holds my hand a second longer, then releases. Her hand falling back to her side. It's moments like these that make me think about the kiss we shared. Could I have feelings for Marina? Am I just trying to grieve the loss of Sarah? Does Marina like me? What would happen if we did date? I'm not expecting anything to happen, and as much as I care for Marina, my heart will always belong to Sarah. Whether she's alive or not. But still, I can't stop thinking about what would happen if Marina and I had gotten together. My thoughts are interrupted by Ella skipping into the hollowed out mountain with Bernie Kosar trotting behind her, back in his beagle form.
"Hi you guys!" I see a slight, sweet smile on Marina's face.
"Hey Ella." Ella has a bright smile on her lips and she reminds me that we have nothing to fear. The war is over. We've won. And that thought brings a smile to my face, almost as big as the one in my dream with Sarah. Almost. Turning my attention away from the happy thirteen year old girl, my eyes shift over to my loyal companion who has been with me from the beginning. Bernie Kosar has his tongue dangling from the side of his mouth as he trots over to my feet and waits to be pet. I bend down and scratch him behind the ear as he lays his head against the side of my knee, closing his eyes. Seeing him with his eyes closed, leaning against me reminds me of the time he almost died during my first fight in Paradise. When Sam was still with me, when I first met Six, when Henri was still alive, and when Sarah was still alive. That memory then triggers more memories of the war. Always being on the run, staying ahead of not only the mogs but the government as well, trying to blend in. I'm relieved it's over and that I don't always have to look over my shoulder but a part of me misses it sometimes. The rush of fighting, the warmth of using my legacies, the team work that was used throughout the Garde. I miss the Garde. I know they are all relaxing and grieving but it'd be nice to see them all. I know I will see them. Just because the mogs are defeated doesn't mean there are no threats. There are still people who believe we are evil, as well as the LANEs. Who we also now have to train to hone and control their new found powers. This is the type of thinking I do up in the Himalayas. It's nice sometimes, to be all alone and just think. But then sometimes I think too much and I long to be with Sarah or the other Garde members who aren't with me now and then I just get upset or sad. I hadn't realized it, but my face had formed a frown and I don't notice till Marina slightly touches my upper arm with her hand. Just as I open my mouth and start to say something I hear a voice from outside. A girls voice. She's about our age and it sounds familiar. I don't know if it's because of my recent dream, or the fact that I miss her, but I mistaken it for Sarah and dash to the entrance of the cave, looking down the path.  I'm mad at myself that I was foolish enough to think it would actually be Sarah, standing there smiling at me with her crystal blue eyes sparkling. But instead of Sarah, it's Daniela. Her face slightly covered in dirt and dust, and the dark bags under her eyes tell that she hasn't been sleeping very well.
"Daniela? How'd you find me?" She looks over my shoulder at Marina who has come out of the cave behind me.
"You mean we?"
"What?"
"Never mind. I'm not here to figure out what you do in your free time." She pauses in suspense as though she's in a movie. "I need your help."
<><><>

I lean against the wall as Daniela sits at one of the chairs around the table in the center of the cave. Ella has joined her and is currently lifting rocks off the ground with her telekinesis and hurling them across the cave for BK to fetch. I shift my eyes towards Marina who begins to speak.
             "So, go over why you need our help again?" Daniela sighs and switches her gaze between Marina and I as she talks.
              "During the invasion, a lot of the major cities in the world were seriously screwed up. Buildings were broken, giant craters were made in the streets, and debris was everywhere. Now that the war is over, a lot of people are focusing on fixing the damage and rebuilding cities." She pauses and takes a sip of water that Marina got for her from a nearby stream of freshwater. After gulping her portion of water, she continues.
                 "I've been helping in New York City where I've been using my stone vision and telekinesis to build up buildings and fill in holes. But I've spotted certain people watching me work." I'm about to respond but Marina cuts me off.
                  "Okay so people are watching you use your legacies, so what?" I'm surprised by the amount of annoyance in Marina's voice that I stare at her in wonderment. Marina has always been the sweet, loving, ready to help anyone type of girl. But from the looks of it, she seems just as surprised. Her mouth opens slightly and her cheeks quickly turn bright red and she casts her gaze towards the ground. After seeing that she's done talking, Daniela continues.
"It's not just that people are watching me as I work. I spot them following me around the city and sometimes even taking stalker pictures of me." This time I speak before anyone else gets a chance to cut me off.
"And you didn't confront them?" She shakes her head.
"They're obviously trying to do it without my knowledge. I've been playing along, just letting them do their thing." This time Ella speaks.
"Why?" She shrugs, not sure how to respond. I think for a moment.
"So... you want us to come back to New York with you to help you with this stalker situation?" She nods quietly. I can sense that there's something else going on that's brought Daniela up to the Himalayas to find us. I look over to see Marina eyeing Daniela, doubt painted all over her face. Before her or Ella can talk, I make a spur of the moment decision.
"Okay Daniela. We'll come with you." Out the corner of my eye, I see Marina's head shoot up and over in my direction. I then look over and see Ella switching her gaze between Marina and I, waiting for someone to confirm our decision.

<><><>

Five minutes later, I'm standing outside the entrance of the cave with Marina.
"Why'd you agree to go back to New York?" I shrug.
"Come on Marina. We've been in the Himalayas for over a year now," I gently put my hand on her shoulder. "I think it's time we take a trip back to civilization. See what's going on." I can see she's still doubting it and even without using my telepathy, I can tell she's thinking about Eight.
"Marina, we can't hide in the mountains for the rest of our lives, grieving about the ones we've lost. Believe me, I miss Eight and Sarah just as much as you. But we can't let grieve hold us back from helping." She subtly sighs and looks up at me through the tops of her eyes.
"Okay. Let's go." I smile and we make our way back inside the cave where Daniela and Ella are talking. They both look over at us when we enter.
"Ready to go?" I ask. Daniela smiles tiredly and Ella jumps up with energy.
After grabbing a couple of things, we start to make our long trek down the mountain.