Golden Grakeii

Chapter 3 "Where Is He?"

Jen canceled on the night, forgetting about a doctors appointment she had. I was relieved, because I knew Zach wouldn't have gone.

It was getting super late, and my parents would be home any time now. "You should go." I whisper, another yawn welcoming me.

"But your dreams-"

"It only happened once, I'll be fine." He hesitates, but grabs his hat and walks to the door. Turning, his brown eyes bore into mine with something I can't understand. the blond-almost-white hair shimmers and gleams.

"Thank you, Zach. For telling me that stuff." I stutter, and cross my arms.

"Yeah." He nods, anxious to leave. And he does, just like that.

I shut the door, run up to my room, and fall asleep shivering.

The dark haired boy and old man return in this dream. But instead of cowering away and hiding, I stand up tall. "Who are you people?"

The old man laughs. "Spencer, come here." The dark haired boy stands beside him.

"Come, Golden." Is he talking to me? I stand still, glued to the floor. My right hand shakes, the bird threatening to work it's power. no no no no no

"Join us." Spencer demands, and the old man glared at him. "We could all do very incredible things." He waves his hand around, smiling. The smile reminds me of Zach, but they don't look anything the same.

"Why did you cut me?" I make sure they can't see my bird. For some reason, I don't think they should know.

"We needed your power to find its way to work. We just helped it." The old man states like its the most obvious thing in the world. "Give my your hand." I shake my head, backing away. The man glides over to me, furious. His eyes darken to a black and he screams.

My dream switches and Zach is before me. "Are you okay?" He jogs to me, worried.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I glance around, and it all comes to me that we are in the forest.

"I couldn't enter in your dream-- it wouldn't let me-- I thought something happened to you." He huffs a breath of relief.

I nod, "Probably because I was with some Spencer guy and an old man. They told me to 'join them' or something." I shake my shoulders.

"Ariana?" He rolls my name off his tongue so gracefully and beautifully. I meet his soft brown eyes. "What did you dream about the night before? When you got the cut on your wrist?"

"The same two people were talking about how I was different than others, a-and they need to wait awhile to see what in capable of before they make a stupid move like killing me."

"Ariana listen to me! I don't think you need to be telling anyone this. Not Dylan, your parents, not even Jen. No one. I'll see you at school tomorrow." He looks away, jaw tensing.

"Wait!" I grab his hand, scared. He pauses and pulls his hand away before disappearing.

My alarm clock goes off in my ear, and I almost fall off the bed. I grab my phone, and flip out. 20 minutes until first bell rings.

I hop in a cold shower, jumping off my feet and slipping out in a record of 5 minutes. I brush through my long knotted hair and quickly grab a blue dress and combat boots. I have to dress cute some days out of the year.

I blow dry my hair as quick as I can and straighten it as much as I can without losing that much time. I only apply mascara, and that's it. Smiling is the best makeup a girl can wear.

Grabbing my backpack, I race out the door and drive to school. I'm four minutes late. The office directs me to the counselor office, and I nod politely.

I walk in the counselors office, and stop. That's not Mrs. Marin. An old man smirks before me. The old man... oh no, he is the one in my dreams.

"I never fully introduced myself, Mrs. Fields. I am Olsen, a dark wizard. And I need you to tell me where Zachariah is."

"I-I don't know." I hide my bird away from him.

"Do you think of me as a fool?! Where is he?" A force slams me against the wall and I scream. Olsen doesn't seem to care. He continues screaming, his eyes becoming darker. Then, he grips my throat and squeezes as hard as he can. I go limp almost immediately. His power overcomes anything I could ever do and then...

My hand is suddenly on his forehead and he is screaming. He lets go of me, clawing at me but the bird is piercing into red hot skin. Dark blood seeps into his mouth.

I let go, weakened by it. Olsen twitches on the floor, making sounds of agony and pain. Someone grabs my arm gently and reassuringly. It's Dylan.

He whispers in my ear. "We need to go. Now."
Tingles race through me when he glances at me with his swirling gray eyes.

I follow him through the hallways, and ask daringly, "Where is Zach? I have to warn him."

"Warn him? Who cares about him anyway. If you want to stay alive, stay away from that dark wizard. What did that man want anyway? Who was he?"

I spill everything as we walk out of school and walk down a sidewalk home. I tell him that he was the one in my dreams, what he said about Zachariah, and what I did to him.

"Ariana." He looks at me worryingly. "Two Grakeii usually can take one dark wizard down. Yet, you managed to take one of the most powerful ones to the ground in tears."

He scratches his chin and I stop. "What is this?!" I hold up my glowing bird tattoo and aching hand. "Why did I start becoming a Grakeii now? Does everyone begin this at w certain age?"

"No, I started when I was 16. They choose you to start developing powers when they think you are ready. And I don't know what the bird means. Ariana, you are some unique Grakeii."

I don't feel like one. I feel like a useless little girl who doesn't get any of this.