Guardians of the Light (Book 1: Rebirth)

Chapter 7

Even from an early age, Sara Danvers felt that she was different from most children her age. She would see things that were not there or no one else could. She would talk to herself on the playground, when asked who she was talking too she simply replied, “I am talking to my friend”. The child therapist told Sara’s parents that she would grow out of it, that it was common for young children to make up imagery friends. To Sara they were not make believe but very much real and alive. Growing up Sara never really made any friends most other children were afraid of her. Her parents tried to give her the best life possible but even still it only took a small episode and they were packing up to start a new life in a new city.

Each new relocation Mr. & Mrs. Danvers thought Sara would grow out of her fazes but as Sara got older, things kept getting worse. Everything ended the night of the car accident; nothing was ever the same again.

By all accounts, Sara should not have survived that car crash, police reports and paramedic statements all came to one conclusion Sara should have died that night along with her parents. The new papers and TV stations had a field day over the case of how a young girl could have survived such a horrible and tragic accident. It did not take long before her parents things were shipped back to New Haven to her childhood home where her grandparents were now staying.

Sara was shipped off to a foster home because her grandparents were too elderly to be taking care of Sara even though they wanted to put her with people she knew and not living in some stranger’s house with loads of other children who were in the same situation as she was. It had not been idle but it was the only option Sara had. That had all changed the moment she had received word that her grandparents had passed away and left her the family home.

Life had changed greatly the day she met Lillian after she had put out an ad looking for a roommate because the house was far too large for Sara to handle on her own, call it fate or some powers above Sara didn’t know but ever since then her life had been so much better. Lillian never seemed to mind Sara’s past or taking on the role of caregiver to a young girl. Lillian had told Sara that she had been drawn to her that day she showed up to look at the house and the sense that she had to protect Sara.

Lillian never told Sara what that meant exactly and even to this day Sara had no idea what it all meant, the one thing she did know was Lillian had been sent to her during her hour of need by some greater being or force out there. It was Sara’s gut reaction and she would one day prove it she just did not know how at this very moment. In between studying for her nursing exams Lillian had told Sara that she needed to take self-defence classes.

Sara had never really been the tough, get your hands dirty type of girl, that was Lillian’s style but her friend and legal guardian even though Sara was of legal age had been quite adamant about it one day while they were out having lunch. It had come out of nowhere and quite sudden that it had shocked Sara and thrown her off guard. Lillian had never brought up a subject like that before, why would Sara need to learn how to defend herself. New Haven had the lowest crime rate in the state.

However, from the look in Lillian’s eyes as she told Sara her reasoning behind it made Sara agree to take the lessons in the first place. Lillian had had some crazy gut feeling that something was going to happen and that in that time of danger she wasn’t going to be there to protect Sara so Sara needed to learn how to defend and attack if that was called for in a situation.

Many times in the past Lillian’s gut reaction had gotten them out of sticky situation and had always been right, so who was Sara to question it when Lillian told her about taking self defense classes. Lillian had already registered her, the first class started tonight. The plan had been for Lillian to pick up Sara after her shift at the bar and drive her right to her class. But half through the day while Sara was in class, Lillian texted her letting her know that she had to pull a double at work and wouldn’t be able to pick her up or drive her. Sara did not know what she as going to do, who would be able to driver her there. She did not think any of her friends would be interested in driving her and then coming back to pick her up again. She was pretty much stuck in else, she happened to find someone else to take her.

Problem was she didn’t know anyone else that could take her and she wasn’t about to get a ride from a total stranger, Lillian would freak out and that was the last thing Sara wanted was to worry about her more than she already did every single moment of the day, seven days a week already. The ring of the bell broke Sara out of her thoughts as she grabbed her bag and books before heading out to the parking lot with the rest of her classmates.

She waved goodbye to her friends and sat on one of the benches outside the school watching as every car drove by until there were no cars left in the parking lot and she was all alone. Sara pulled out her headphones and was listening to music on her phone as she checked the bus schedule to see if one was available. It was her last option to make it too the class and she would just have to end up walking home which was much shorter distance than from the school to in town.

She sighed when she looked to see the bus was not coming for another two hours by that time the class would be close to starting so there was no point. Sara was just about to start walking home when a sliver Honda Civic pulled up to where she was sitting, the window rolled down and a young man with brown eyes, dark brown hair smiled at her before speaking, “Hey do you need a ride?”. Sara moved closer to the car to get a better look at the person driving it, “My names James, we have Bio Chem together. I don’t know if you remember me or not”.

Sara did not pay much attention to the other people in her extra credit class but the more she looked at James the more she started to remember seeing him once or twice during class. She nodded her head and opened the passenger side door, slipping into the seat and locking her seat belt. “Thanks” she spoke lightly before finishing, “For driving me of course”. He told her it was no problem and asked where she was headed. Sara told James she was going to Station Plaza, which happened to be into the same area he was headed.

The drive there was filled with silence between them, James was focused on driving and Sara was keeping an eye on him. She was not stupid, even though she knew him, not very well or the fact was she might feel safe around him she still had to keep her guard up. Lillian had taught her the trick of having your keys between your fingers, in order to use it as a weapon if needed.

A quick jab of the metal end of the keys into an attackers face would be enough to shock and stun them, to have enough time to get away or to somewhere safe. At the corner of the plaza Sara told James to drop her off there. She thanked him again for the ride and watched as he drove off. The space where the self-defense school was on the back half of the building. Sara managed to get there in enough time to change out of her clothes, into work out ones she brought. Just getting out to stand with the others in the class, when she heard a voice, one that sounded familiar, her head shot up to see James.