THE GIFTED

CHAPTER 4

DAPHNE

Stephan

Falling asleep isn't easy tonight. You'd think that training and studying battle strategies from early in the morning would help. My thoughts keep straying away to that girl I met today. She was stubborn and blockheaded, but she was also beautiful. I had never seen such bright blue eyes till then. She was way too thin and had a nimble frame. She probably got punished, I should have done something. I knew I had seen her somewhere. Since my birthday, every night has been a nightmare, literally, and every time I keep seeing her. Well, her eyes and a horrendous battle.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me as I'll be planning the ball; Carol's birthday ball is not only a celebration but also a scouting session for suitable and wealthy husbands for her in the future. Even my marriage isn't that far off. My bud Reid keeps reminding me about it. Again I think about her.

I feel bad for the poor sucker who will be getting her hand. Instead of a hand, she'll probably give him a fist... in the face. The sight is actually quite comical. Several minutes pass by, and sleep doesn't come. I go to the loo and wash my face. I am a mess. I look tired and my hair needs a cut, soon. Dad is going to be very worried if I show up like this to the ball.

I try to go to sleep again and this time I do. It hits me like a wave of darkness, cold but somewhat blissful. This time though I don't see that girl or a war. Instead, I see...nothing. It feels like I'm floating around in complete darkness. A floating prince, a nice title actually.

I try to find something, anything. I turn around to see a faint glow coming towards me. I expect something horrible instead I see a young woman. Her eyes are full of wisdom, they have seen the world at its worst. She looks kind, but if I have learnt something from all my years of training it is that looks can be deceiving. Slowly the darkness peels away and I'm in a garden but the lady is still there. She comes closer.

"Hello, Stephan" her voice is soothing and sweet as honey.

"How do you know my name?" I ask her

"I know a lot of things about you Stephan"

"Who are you?"

"Be patient, all your questions will be answered."

And then out of nowhere a small table, few cushions, a teapot and two cups appear, she motions for me to sit down and I do, with the caution of course. She pours a cup of tea and hands it to me. It is warm in my hand. I didn't know that you could feel warmth in a dream. I observe where I am, something that Reid taught me. Know your environment and your surroundings, be observant and alert...

"Stephan Carlos crown prince of Oridian, am I right?"

"Yes, but how do know my name? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you anywhere."

"Everything will make sense once you come to know who you are and the purpose of your existence"

"What?" Again she denies me an answer.

"That girl you met today, the one who you saw in your dreams..."

"Yea... what about her?" this lady was starting to scare me now. She let out a long sigh as if she had been doing this for a long time.

"Okay let's start from the beginning. You will have a lot of questions. I will answer them in the end. Okay then, let me introduce myself. My name is Daphne, I am a Wisp, a spirit who assists the gifted. The gifted are a group of teenagers who are destined to fight against the hunters. They can control elements such as water, heat, time, mind, destruction and energy." She paused to take a breath.

"You, Stephan, can control the element of destruction. Your ability has been developing since your sixteenth birthday, causing the dreams. That girl you saw today is also like you. She is the keeper of the element of magic. That is why you have been dreaming about her, she is your Syndeontai or Link in English. She is your other half. Whatever you feel, physically I mean, she will also feel and vice versa. Linked ones can also communicate telepathically. If you try hard enough that is. It's not just you two. There are others like you with their own abilities, four of them to be precise. Candice Piers, Zalen Malekite, Andrew Frost and Caroline Carlos..."

Unconsciously, I had been sipping on the tea, it was sweet. Reid would be disappointed in me.

"Wait, what?! Carol, she is my sister, well step-sister, but there is no way..."

"There is! It is not just a coincidence that you two are the same age separated by just a few weeks. Listen to me, when you and your Link turned sixteen you started seeing dreams. Caroline has already started seeing dreams too because her Link is already sixteen and she has turned sixteen too. You need to help her understand. I am talking to everyone in their dreams tonight Stephan. I am starting to get weak. We have to hurry."

"You are a prince, you have been put in this position so that you can help in destroying the Hunters using your influence. Find that girl, her name is Alexis Frost, you two have to work together to find the other members of the Gifted. You also need to learn to control your powers. Whatever you touch, you destroy, you can also numb people of their powers for a while. That is why you need to be extremely careful especially with the others. Your powers will be in full effect when all of you are together."

"But why do I even have these powers?" I ask, baffled, none of what this Wisp lady is saying is making any sense.

"All six of you together are called the Gifted, the history of it all is quite hard to explain. I will leave a book for you on your bed, a guide, handle it carefully, it's quite delicate. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands. It will clear most of your doubts about the Gifted. Now, the answer to your question, your birth was destined a long time ago..."

"I hope this is not a biology lesson..."

"That is not what I meant! Your purpose in life is to destroy the Hunters a group of people who are the majority of the reason for all the wars and suffering. They have powers too. Not many of them are known to us. Whatever we know is in the book."

"You might know about hand to hand combat, but the others don't so I will send trainers to help you. Their names are Asher and Erin. You need to find the rest of the members and meet the trainers at the Cavern. You will know where to go, just refer to the Guide."

She stops momentarily to catch her breath or so it seems. I don't think spirits breathe.

"If I am supposed to find the others, how do you expect me to get out of my duties and the palace...?" I'd rather jump through a hoop of fire.

"In the guide, there is a key, words that can activate something called a Glare. How else do you think The Gifted have gone unnoticed for over a millennium. It will provide a fake reason for you to leave. It will make them see what you want them to see. You have to leave soon with your sister." Her words were rushed as though she had very little time.

"How do I use my powers? I mean, I don't know how to."

"Reach into the deepest part of your soul. Think of your power over and over again. It could be some pain, sorrow or confusion that could trigger it. And when it is triggered, the

Glare will hide you from Normals. Feel your power's vibrations. To turn something to ash you need to radiate that feeling, that sorrow or pain toward that object. That is why you must control your negative emotions felt towards someone like hatred or fear."

"To numb someone of their power you should dull your emotions, be silent and still, calm your mind and then unleash all of it on a person or group of people. Be careful, using that ability around Normal's could cause them to faint or worse. Learn to control the intensity. I have to go now. I cannot stay for longer my powers are weakening; I have spoken with everyone in their dreams. It is morning. Be careful Stephen, and know one thing, what happened to your mother and brother, it wasn't an accident..."

She starts to fade. I have a thousand questions burning in my mind. Who am I? Has my whole life been a lie? What happened to my mom and Daniel? But there is no time for questions as everything falls away. My head starts to throb and I wake up.

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