COLD SUNRISE

After a couple of days, I visited the hospital to get a C.A.T scan on my leg which was fine but my grand folks insisted, I had pretended for a day or two with the clutches then I figured why don’t I show it in the open cause God knows pretense wasn’t really my strong suit and no way in hell was I going to continue with it for month, I’m not that good an actor, all I had to do was wake up one morning present my improvement to frank and Judy with a little bit of style and acting like I had practiced trying to walk, It would be unbelievable at first but knowing Judy she will help sell it as a miracle from God which is totally fine by me. It was a calculated risk I had to take knowing they’ll never be able to guess the exact mystery, truth be told if I tell you all this surreal supernatural stuff doesn’t make my stomach churn a bit know I’m lying.

To doctor Shannon I was both a person of interest and an enigma with the recovery the accident and all. I mean why wouldn’t I be, she’s looking at my scans right now the astounding look in her face while telling my folks that my leg is completely healed like that was no sign of a fracture in the first place not even a slight crack on the bone, I had gotten enough injuries to last me a lifetime and in just a week ago was discharged they’ve all vanished, she wouldn’t have believed it herself if I wasn’t a patient of hers.

At school I became the subject of the latest gossip about the mysterious relationship I suddenly had with the Lansdale’s since recently I have been presumed to be rolling with them which was strange cause they are never sociable with anyone apart from themselves Allan’s exact words, that Monday Raven stopped by my house I avoided dinner with frank and Judy by coming home late knowing they’ll ask me about her and I’ll have no choice but to tell she’s a Lansdale, I recalled Frank warning about them the week I first showed up, for me to stay away maybe all this supernatural stuff was what he meant by they carry a dark secret, which means my grand-folks may know a lot than I do but I can’t ask, I can’t let them know I know, I can’t get them involved it’s easier that way. Raven wasn’t making it any easier by sometimes showing up on different mornings and eventually we’ll end up arriving in school together, I couldn’t get why she was doing it at first when I asked she said It’s for my own good like she’s protecting me or something, it’s a new feeling being around these people though the presence of the boys still half way frightened me, I was kind of getting used to their hostility better the devil I made a deal with has my back guiding me from demons lurking in the shadows than nothing at all.

Wade, Darrell, and a few others began keeping their distance from me, Raven said it was for their own safety. I was a walking ticking time bomb waiting to be detonated only a matter of time, and if they’re unlucky they will all get caught up within the blast radius. She’s definitely the most unpredictable person I have ever met, one minute it seems like she cares the next she’s someone different entirely, cautious, calculative guarded and cold like her brothers one attribute they all have in common, sometimes I wonder why she bothers insisting on looking out for me, and sometimes when I look at her, within that perfect frozen angular nature I see a sense of tenderness, warmth, humanity nested within, she’s only got trouble expressing it.

I decided to do home chores this weekend for a change, I haven’t done anything since the accident except my own laundry. Judy went grocery shopping, Frank left for work, I was home alone that morning, I discarded my crutches somewhere in the garage if felt good not needing them anymore, I mowed the lawn, vacuumed the house, took out the trash. While cleaning the shelves and picture frames on top I found a secluded frame faced down inside one of the shelves, I reached for it seeing it was a picture of a lake house with Aaron cuddling Diane from behind both of them with long happy grins on their faces, I pulled the picture out of to find a single key hidden within, at the back of the picture was dated August 16th, 1996 a year before I was born, they must have been newly wedded then. An address was scribbled at the top left, I had seen that lake house before in another picture of my mom’s, this used to be our home, I don’t remember anything much of it but mom had talked about it. I until now I hadn’t given much thought of it before, seeing it again now I know I was going to find its location. I have to check it out on my own, I folded it slipping it into my jeans along with the key.

That evening I traced the place following. the address, I pulled over in front of the house. Couldn’t quite factor a reason why my parents would prefer to live somewhere this lonesome, I didn’t see another or another car passing through for miles while coming. It was a small mansion with a separate garage of its own, I marched to the door turning the knob it appeared to be locked as expected, I took out the key I got from the picture frame out of my pocket and tried the lock it unbolts. The door creaks open, I searched for the light switch on the wall flipping it on to clear the darkness, the sitting room was spacious with gray décor on the walls, the furniture’s covered with white fabrics, lots of other things like frames and the rest of the stuff in boxes, I wasn’t sure on what I wanted to find or expect of this place apart from silence and dust. The staircase was close to the dining room I headed upstairs to the rooms, I turned on the lights walking through the first door on the right, it had a wide width and luxurious bed which is I presume was the master bedroom like the sitting room it was also crowded with different boxes and stuff, no one had visited this place in a long while.

I heard the front door downstairs creak open, then stealthy cautious footstep, someone had just walked in, anxiety swept over me with this lingering thought that I might have been followed but by who? it doesn’t matter anyway I said to myself picking up an iron rod I found in the passageway upstairs, I hid beside the wall leading down the stairs as the footstep slowly approached coming up.

“Nathan are you there?” it was a familiar voice. I recognized it to be Raven’s, how did she find this place, sighed deeply before revealing myself.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been following me around all day because now that would be very creepy,” I said as we stared blankly at each other

“ No, I didn’t need to” she replied, her eyes peered at my hand

I see the info I told you about a likely threat that might happen has made you kind of jumpy” she smirked.

“ you think,” I scoffed letting go the rod.

“ so tell me, what are you doing in an abandoned house anyway?” she asked with her eyes running around wildly surveying.

“ My dad owns the place, I should be the one asking that question.’

“ I dropped by your house to check up on you, your old lady said you took off somewhere without saying a word, you shouldn’t do that not with everything that’s happening.”

“ let me guess you’re now my babysitter,”

“ I don’t think you get it, knowing what you know and what you’ve seen has changed the course of your entire life, everywhere is a dangerous place for you right now and the last thing you should be doing is hanging out in a deserted house alone, you need to be careful,” she warned.

“That I’m a bit frightened doesn’t mean I get to stop living my life besides what are you now, my mom.” I mocked

“you should be grateful someone looking out for you.” She said, part of me agrees with her she could not have given a damn about me if she wants to.

“ok, you’re right I should be, I apologize if I’m being a jerk.”

“ but then, if you weren’t following me how were you able to find me?” I asked

“remember that rainy evening you gave me a ride home after I totaled my convertible,”

“ Yeah,” I followed behind her as she walked into the same I was before.

“ well Lock didn’t seem too pleased about it, he told me he marked you on your right shoulder. There’s a little part of his essence coursing through your body creating a connection between you two, and as a family, we have the ability to sense each other’s energy no matter how small it is, he was in two places at once I just followed the dimmer one.” I recalled the event of the dream I had about him, his dark bleeding empty sockets with his pale cold face, when he grabbed me by the shoulder I got burned by his palm, I woke up the next morning with a thick burn in a form a hand print.

“ wait! I remember that and I thought I dreamt it that was it! The genesis to all the weirdness that started going on around me,” I said.

“that thing whatever it is he did, it made me sick for a whole day and my shoulder hurt like hell. Why would he do that to me? Who does he think he is anyway,” I groused, she laughed faintly in response.

“he’s the most powerful amongst us, be careful not say that face or he’ll end up biting off your own face.” She replied humouredly, walking through the other door in the room that led to the balcony, Raven was still for a minute, gazing down the lake at the backyard, a warm smile of admiration stretched across her lips, as the gentle wind sprouted her long, perfect, honey blond hair. I got lost in the scenery before I realized I was actually gawping.

“ Wow, the view out here is Amazing, you said your dad owns the place where is he and why is this place all boxed up?”

“ he’s been in a coma for seventeen years,” I answered,

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize…”

“ don’t worry it’s fine, no big deal.” I hid the grief in my tone picking up one of the boxes ripping out the tape. I haven’t felt anything for my father in a long time, never really thought about him much until now, the Idea of going to visit him in the nursing care facility hasn’t even probed hard enough, what kind of person does that make me? Well, I take it that the answer to that is Irrelevant anyway.

Raven came back into the room standing at my side when I pulled out a large photo of my dad when he graduated from college, he was young and full of life.

“ have you met him before?” she asked carefully,

“ No, not that I can remember, I only know what he looks like through pictures that’s all.”

I placed down the photo gently when I felt her soft, tender hands on mine, she gently took my palm in hers it was like my skin lit up like a match, sensitive to her touch. Her gaze locked in my face, in her eyes was this sudden warmth about her she lets no one see and I could see it.

“ look, I can’t tell how big and dark the world may seem to you right now with everything going on, but one thing I’m sure to say is that it gets better eventually no matter how long it takes.”

“ Thanks,” I nodded slightly

There were other large sets of books in the box, lots of papers and research stuff. I scoured to the bottom of it finding a small chest safely kept inside, it had to be something personal. I opened it to find a journal with a finely coated leather cover, a picture enclosed within its middle pages. I slipped it out, a light-skinned blond-haired lady with very pretty blue eyes, there was this uncanny resemblance she had to Raven, around her neck she wore that spearheaded silver Locket I first found in Aarons jacket, who is she?”

“ wait! Let me see the picture.” Raven requested I handed it her watching her face turn into a muddle when she got a close at it, I could tell she recognized the person.

“ do you know her?” I asked.

“that’s my mom, but I don’t understand why does your dad have a picture of her?”

“ maybe they must have known each other somehow,” I said assuming. I knew there had to be a better explanation than that, a connection between them.

At the space close to where I pulled out the journal in the chest was something else wrapped in a black cloth, I spread it open finding a colt magnum revolver. The lights in the house began to fluctuate all of a sudden accompanied by a loud thunderclap.

“ Nathan, some people just walked into the building,” Raven stated cautiously her eyes static like she sensed something.

“ what! Who?” for a brief second the moment slowed, along with everything else and in that same fraction, the books the boxes and other stuff in the room began to levitate, I watched them as they floated before they lost themselves when gravity pulled back.

“ what the hell is happening?”

“ we have to leave now, stay behind me.” She said, hastily walking out of the room, I grabbed the journal and the revolver wrapped around the cloth shoving it down my waist line at my back, dashing out of the room following behind, pausing at the passage way when we saw two men out of the blue standing at the path that led down the stairs when the lights flickered once more, the first was a bald Asian on a dark jacket, strange markings like tattoos on his neck almost stretching to his face, the other on a Mohawk, tall, light skinned, brawny with a sleeveless jacket, he had the markings too but just on his right arm that held a double edged medieval looking axe.

“Wait here!” Raven ordered, fearlessly marching forward towards them, I could sense the hostility between the three that poised the area, what does she think she’s on doing? The Asian crackled his knuckles with a smug smile unsheathing a hunting knife hooked to his belt, swinging at her, it was unbelievable when I saw her swiftly evade a double strike, he was desperate for a cut attempting a third, she parried with left, her right hand moved quickly almost like it blurred shoving his head against the wall.

It made a dent slightly stunning him, she flipped him over the shoulder, he slammed to the floor, next her boot on his face, I practically stood there as she stumped him hard till I heard a faint noise that sounded more like a neck snap. Imagine the look on my face while I stood behind her frozen, I felt my jaw drop. The guy on the Mohawk an angry growl, there was something about his eyes when the light reflected on it, his dark lens seemed broader than normal. He hurled his axe towards raven, she ducked but in a near miss, the metal blade darting past her face less than an inch away and headed directly towards me, I could have sworn it would definitely hit, it was almost impossible to dodge something fast, I got shoved to the right by some kind of force when she waved her hand at me, my back and head banged against the wall, it dazed me as I heard the get the axe get stuck at the opposite end. I was on the floor trying to regain myself, Raven picked up the hunting knife from the man on her feet then launching herself at him with a leap. He intercepted her in mid-air by the neck, swinging her straight through the nearest wall he’s strength was incredible, I thought that would have knocked her out. He dragged her out of the burrowed wall by her legs, picking her up with both hands in a choking grasp, lifting and pinning her to the opposite side. She struggled persistently to get his hands off her neck while he pressed.

“ is that all the fight you’ve got in you, little girl,” he taunted in his deep soured voice, my head was still spinning, while on the floor I tried reaching for my waist to pull out the colt with my unsteady hands, I have never fired a gun in my life, I wasn’t even sure it was loaded but I knew I had to something he was hurting her and I couldn’t just stand there. She looked my direction but not at me while gasping for breath, Raven stretched her hands like she was trying to reach for something. Before I could completely pull out the colt I saw her blue eyes glow for a second and something dashed past above me, the ax at the end of the wall at her hand, She swiftly hacked it straight in the middle of his skull. It grew quiet as his grip around her neck loosened, her feet back to the ground as she fell inhaling deeply, he takes a step backward with ax standing upright on his head falling to his knees and thick red running down his face, his body slumps to the floor. I stood in shocked for seconds because I wasn’t used to seeing dead bodies or people hacked right in front me,

“ quit standing around there like that, come on let’s go.” She announced, I snap back to myself slipping the colt to my back behind again. We tried going down the stairs but couldn’t walk through, there was some kind of force separating us acting like an invisible wall.

“keep them bound!” a loud voice ordered from downstairs, we looked below to see a man in his late fifties lighting a cigarette to his mouth, white-haired and on an expensive dark coat, at his sides two dark-haired women their faces covered with hoods chanting something to themselves with their eyes focused on us, whatever they were saying was totally inaudible. A group of men on suits and gloves walked in through the open entrance door, with the same strange markings tattoos on their skin and faces.

“ I really wish you’d make this easier on all of us miss by simply handing over the boy, I believe Lock and your father Michael had you educated on the rules on how witnesses are usually sorted out, I have to say I I’m indeed still quite surprised he’s alive and breathing standing beside you when you should have Handled him on your own Miss Lansdale,” He said speaking to Raven.

“ you’re from the council aren’t you?” she scowled.

“ indeed, I I’m .” He answered with smoke oozing from nostrils, his accent sounded Russian. This was the likely trouble Raven warned me about and all of a sudden its here, it’s already happening much faster than I expected.

“ then we both know your presence in Franklinton isn’t mainly about him, for reasons unknown you’re organization have been after my family for a very long time why?”

“unification for a greater cause I believe, not sure of the exact details, I just do as I’m instructed by the high ups maybe you should ask your father or Lock, I’m sure they’ll explain better than I’ll do.” He lets his cigarette slips within his finger down and he steps on it.

“ concerning the boy, he saw something behind the curtain that he should never believe to exist in the first place, as we all know is a serious deviation from the treaty of old ultimately best handled in one way,” I knew what he meant was to kill me the Lansdale’s have made it pretty clear.

“ you, the council, you all are just a bunch of hypocrites, you people talk about knowledge of our existence remaining a secret from the mundane and yet you use humans like those two beside you to do your bidding,” Raven scoffed.

“ Ah, yes they are mortals, witches to be exact who have offered their services to us. The council finds their talent useful for now, they’ve both graciously acknowledged the fact that their lives are over along with their free will stripped away from them, and their fates will eventually end the same it’s only a matter of time.” My heart was racing we were stuck, I didn’t know my way around the place to be sure there’s another way out, all exit doors appeared to be downstairs only.

“Now young lady lets put an end to this debate by handing him over and I promise you won’t be harmed.” The men on suits began marching towards the stairs, Raven I took a few steps backwards as they approached the look on her eyes, she looked almost half as scared as I was but stern, she may be badass but clearly this wasn’t something we could just easily fight our way through, we were outnumbered, in my head I made a short prayer to God I wasn’t really sure I believed in for tonight not to be the one my messed up life eventually ends, I wasn’t ready.

“ what do we do now?” I asked

“ give me your car keys,”

“ what?”

“ now!” she requested, I did as I was told pulling out of my pocket and handing it over to her while we kept backing away slowly, She gripped me firmly by the wrist.

“Hey, Old Man.” She called out,

“ if you want him you have to get through me.”

There was a sudden huge quake rising underneath from the floor where we stood, her grip to my wrist felt like a current passing through my body, the hair on my skin stood upright, a large crack on the wooden floor traveled from our feet extending into the walls, everything was vibrating.

“Nathan, I need you to hold still we’re about to jump.” She said to me.

“ jump where? What do you even mean by that?” I replied confusedly, that’s when the high-pitched piercing sound struck my eardrum and my eyes burned from the inside, I froze.

Retracting back to awareness, finding myself static in the front passenger seat of a speeding vehicle which I recognized to be mine plus the dull sent of cigarette and mint the chairs usually smelled like, my sight blurry and my head spinning like crazy, I heard voices someone kept calling my name.

“ Hey, Nathan! Nathan! Are you okay? can you hear me?” Raven was beside me talking with her hands on the wheels, the worried look on her face, her voice sounded super loud. My ear kept buzzing from a high-pitched like I had taken a blow in the ear. What did the hell happen? How did we end up here and I can’t recall any of it. This has happened before just like that night In the woods. Something is wrong with me, something is happening to me, I’m blacking out and losing track of time. I felt my insides tremble like I had caught a cold, my heart racing in my chest, my breathing uneasy, I was hyperventilating.

“ Hey, I need you to calm down, you might feel disoriented a bit.” I ran my gazes wildly noticing we were on the main road, probably miles away from the lake house.

“ Look at me, you might go into shock any minute from now and trust me we both don’t want that, I want you to take slow deep breaths, try relaxing. Whatever side Effect you may be feeling is only temporary.” I obeyed slumping my back to the seat, breathing in and out for some seconds. The buzzing in my ears began fading, there was this sick feeling in my stomach that me nauseated, I knew I was about to puke next. I quickly winded down the window yanking half myself out of the glass doing it along the road while she drove, the airbrushing into my face at the same time, It was disgusting.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself,” I apologized taking out the hankie from my jacket to wipe my mouth.

“There’s no need to play gentleman, it was either that or you go into shock, you feel better now don’t you?” she smiled.

“ Yeah, much better,” I answered exhaustedly.

“ uh, my head is a bit fuzzy but I have to ask, how did we. Uhmmm, how did we get here because I have no memory us of ever making it out from the lake house or me getting in this car with you.”

“ I had a reason when I asked for the keys, I knew you might have some side effects from the jump but it had to be done, it was our only way out of there.” She replied.

“ you keep saying the word jump what do you even…”

“ we teleported.” She answered before I could make out the sentence.

“ what?” I chuckled in disbelief, the straight look on her face meant she wasn’t kidding, I tried wrapping my head around it on it dematerializing, traveling through space then appearing directly into the car.

“ what the hell… how is that even…? Jesus!” I exclaimed.

“ I swear to God if this continues I’m going to lose my freaking mind.”

“ then consider yourself lucky if it’s only your mind you get to lose before the week runs out,” Raven airily. The night was already turning into a nightmare.

“ so what now, they are going to come after me aren’t they? I mean if they could find us at my Dads old house then that means they already know where I live.” I asked nervously

“ I don’t know, let’s hope they don’t. But they not following us right now I’m sure, our escape seemed too easy I think they’re letting us go for now for some reason, still, it doesn’t mean its over.”

My heart was still pounding but slower nearing normal, we sat silently for a while as she drove. I

looked at the time on my phone barely nine-thirty I should be expecting calls from frank or Judy anytime soon to check up on me and know my whereabouts.

“ you know you scared me there for a minute Nate,” she muttered breaking the silence.

“ what do you mean?”

“ after I jumped us to the car you just sat there frozen like a statue not even a blink for nearly three minutes, I thought the jump had caused some serious damage to your mind and body, I don’t know what I would have done if it had.” I sensed the relief in her tone.

“ I’ll call my brothers and tell him about everything that happened today and we’ll prepare for whatever is to come next.”

“ because the next time these people show up, it definitely is a different group, they will be no bargaining, it would be to simply take us all out now my family is already a major problem for them and also I also I refused to hand you over.”

“ but you said these people are more like an organization right, can your family be able to match them all at once,” I asked.

“ No, not if we take the fight to them. But we can protect ourselves,” she answered with a proudly. There was no doubt in my mind they wouldn’t be able to, not after seeing how she alone handled those two guys back there, when I nearly pissed myself.

“ should I leave town? Cause I wouldn’t want my grand-folks caught in the crosshairs because of me.” Right now they were my greatest concern.

“ they’re already in the middle of it with you, besides wherever you go or think you can run to they will find you, your scent, your energy, they’re all very distinctive,”

“ isn’t that a good thing?”

“ No it’s not, it makes you different from everyone else and you won’t be so difficult to find, the best chance you have at staying alive is to stay here and to stick with us till everything blows over.” She explained.

We arrived at home later that night, she parked in front of the house handing me the keys.

“I should be heading home now, I wouldn’t want my family to worry,”

“Wait!” I called out once she opens the door to leave,

" what if they’re watching right now and they decide to come for me once you leave.” I didn’t want to act like a scared cat but that was what I was doing, She rolled her eyes.

“I’m not sure there will be anyone coming after you like I said if they really wanted to get you they could have followed and tried to stop us, I think they were just trying to send a message.”

“What message, and to whom?”

“It’s not your problem,” she said.

" like hell it is, I’m in the freaking Goddamn middle of it,” I argued.

" and unlike you guys, I don’t have some sort supernatural ability to protect myself.”

“Why do I get this feeling that the only problem you’re having is that your scared of being alone all by yourself in your house,” She grimaced.

" because I am, I mean who in their right mind wouldn’t be after what happened tonight,”

" so what do you expect I do about it, babysit till you fall asleep?” I cocked a brow considering it.

“Uhmmm, yeah that sure will be nice.”

“I thought you told me you didn’t need a babysitter,” she replied humouredly stepping out, I did the same quickly maneuvering my way to her front

“Well I lied, you’ve got to consider the fact that if they get to me, then all the effort of protecting, healing and stuff you’ve done for me would be in vain.” Jeez! I can’t believe I’m I using this card to try to convince her.

" are you suggesting I spend the night at your house, watching over you?” She shuddered in disgust, but I didn’t mind.

“Maybe, I’ll sleep on the floor, you can have my bed.” I know what you all reading this must be thinking ” you crazy coward!” but you’re only saying that in your head because you’re not in my shoes right now.

" you’re nuts! Get out of my way I have to make a phone call.”

she walks past me slipping out her cell from her pocket dialing a number as she marches down the street, it’s not like she brought a car or anything.

" Hey! How do you plan on getting home, it’s not like you’re going to just stroll down there either?” I yelled.

" That’s not your problem.” She replied. I sneaked into house knowing I had been out late, I tried to be as quiet as possible not make my folks aware of my presence cause they usually went to bed early, Judy covered a plate of steaks and salad for at the dining table before retiring, I boiled it down dumping the plate in dishwasher, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before heading for my room. I flipped the light switch on walking in cautiously. I admit I was being paranoid by thinking I was going to get jumped in my room, everything seemed normal and a bit untidy just the exact same way I left it.

I dropped my jacket on my reading desk, taking out the colt and hiding it in my wardrobe inside one of my shoes for now before entering the bathroom, the scenes of everything that took place tonight replaying in my head as I felt the droplets of cold water in my skin, starting from the part when stuffs began floating around the room, then we got attacked at the passageway by those weird looking Guy’s, how Raven alone matched the both of them going through the Asian one like a ragged doll, then burying an axe on the others skull, alike to something you see in an action movie but this, this was real. There are really a lot of things I don’t know about her.

I worried about the bodies dropped at the lake house what if someone finds them. I got distracted when I heard shady shifty movements from the window back in the room, then a quiet footstep. I knew it wasn’t my frank or Judy they would’ve been calling my name already before walking into the room. I stepped out of the shower quickly putting on my shorts and the old shirt I hanged at the handle of the bathroom door, in my head I had already made a quick assumption considering the fact it was the people from the council, the same people from before. I’m guessing I was right at the end now they’ve figured out Raven their only obstruction is gone they’ve come for me. I left my pants on the bed and the only likely useful thing was the gun I already hid at the wardrobe, is not my assailants would simply just stand there while I try to bring out the gun again, but I wasn’t goings down without a fight. I picked a mop stick being the only hand tool I could find around, I clenched my palm tight to it and gulped. “Please God, let this not be it for me,” I muttered inwardly charging into the room, it was empty, The window dancing slight due to the effect of the gentle wind.

" is this your fighting style charging your attacker with a mop stick ?” I leaped away startled when I heard Raven’s voice behind me.

" Jeez! you nearly gave me a heart attack, you know you really should quit doing that, showing up unannounced.”

" it’s nine and it’s late, what was I supposed to do, knock?” she grunts.

" what happened, I thought you said you were going home,” I asked.

“I tried reaching my brothers and my dad severally, their phones keep going to voicemail, something is wrong it’s so unlike them.”

“Can’t you do your jump or teleportation thing whatever you call it and magically show up at home.”

“I can’t, that stuff takes quite a lot of energy, I’m limited to one jump at a time for a couple of hours depending on the distance. I have already used it twice, first finding you and getting us out of that house, for now, I’m maxed out, attempting a third goes with consequences,” she explained pacing around with fraught

" so what do we do, isn’t there a way to reach them?”

“I think your grandmother is coming to check on you, our talking must have woken her up,” she added abruptly, I heard the door creak of Judy’s room,

“Nathan are you there!” Judy called approaching,

" hide in the closet!” I told Raven,

" don’t worry I can make it so she doesn’t see me.” She pulled out my reading chair and comfortably sat down, what the hell is her problem! Does she want to put me in an awkward situation with my grandmother?

“Nathan!” Judy called again, turning the knob opening and the door from behind, I almost freaked out cause Raven was still there.

“ yes, Ma’am .” I answered nervously

“ are you okay?” she asked coming in and I nodded swiftly. She looked around the room, looking at Raven’s direction, I felt my belly knot and then she looked at me.

“ who were you talking to?” I got confused by her question, as I looked at Raven sitting there quietly with her arms crossed, she shook her head at me as a sign Judy couldn’t see her. I can’t explain how Raven was doing what she was doing I mean my room was brightly lit and open. But I understood I had to flow with it.

“Nathan!”

“sorry, I was Uhm, I was talking to a friend on the phone.” I quickly made up pointing at my cell on the table, while I watched her eyes glance around the room again, it was as if all she could see was me.

“ well you were talking pretty loud and I thought I heard someone else.”

“No, just me,” I assured

“ I covered your dinner at the table, have you eaten?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“ Alright, then good night and in case you start talking on the phone again try keeping your voice down I’m trying to sleep.”

“sorry,” she nodded and left.

Jeez! That was close, it felt like everything was about blowing up in my face.

“ you know, I think it’s better I don’t even ask how you did what you did to my grandmother,” I said with a deep sigh.

“ All I did was make her see you alone, it’s no big deal,” Raven replied

“ Chris was meant to come pick me up, and now he isn’t answering his phone I’m guessing he’s busy, same with the rest of my folks, I’m sure by now they are all aware of the council showing in Franklinton, I can feel their energies present somewhere but not at home and they’re being cautious, and in situations like this what my dad usually does is to shield the house, so nothing external my kind or otherwise won’t be able to get in.”

“ you know less than half the time you say stuff like that I’m usually not able to follow what it really means, but from the little, I can understand it sounds like you can’t go home, possibly not tonight anyway, like I said before you can have my bed if you want.” I offered again.

“ don’t get ahead of yourself,” she muttered exhaustedly.

“look you’ve done a lot today, I know your tired and you need rest, I can’t let you go out there again it’s already late and likely not safe for either of us giving you my bed is the least I can do for you for saving my life or if it makes you comfortable I’ll sleep downstairs on the couch.”

“No, no, I won’t deprive of your room.” She shrugged.

“ then let’s share it together, I’ll have the floor and I won’t be anywhere near you if that’s what your thinking, I have seen your badass moves with those guy’s at the lake house, I’ll probably be dead before I realize it. I just need you to relax and rest,” she hesitated, then gazing prudently at me, I wasn’t expecting she’d agree easily either both of us in the same room, is definitely going to seem awkward.

“ just for a few hours and I’m out of here,’ she said.

“ fine by me.” I agreed, I got rid of the few loitering clothes, straightening the sheets, she rested her back comfortably on the chair, tilting her head upwards, then shut her eyes for a minute wish I would stand and watch her sleep all day. I kept the mop stick back in the bathroom before going downstairs to get her something to eat, I returned with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of orange juice, to find her standing in front of my clipboard staring at the photos of my dad.

“ here, I brought you something.” I placed the plate on the table, handing her the glass.

“ Thanks,”

“ sure,”

“ you look a lot like him you know, your dad I mean,” she added

“ Yeah, I have been told that,”

“in fact, he’s at the nursing care facility somewhere out of town, I just have worked out the time to go see him.”

“what happened to him?” she asked.

“ probably you might have heard the story before, seventeen years ago there was an accident in the town hospital, they say it was an earthquake or something, he used to be a doctor back then, that day the building crumbled on him,” I explained.

“ it must have been hard on growing without him,”

“No, Not exactly,” I gave a faint smile,

he’s a total stranger to me and I him, also I had my Mom she filled in the blanks.” It was easier for me to

say it that way, I wasn’t going to go down memory lane and dig up the times when I wished I would one day meet him.

“ your Mom must be really great,”

“ Yeah, she is.”

“ reminds me of mine too,” she muttered solemnly, I remember when Frank talked about Michael Lansdale’s children moving here from California after their mother passed away, then the picture of her Raven and I saw in Aaron’s journal it had to mean something.

“ what happened to your Mom?”

“ she died in a car accident four years ago,” she replied.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. wasn’t she supposed to be super invincible to something like that, like you?”

“ she used to be, but later became different,”

“different how?”

“ my people are known to be hybrids containing the essence of two beings, Mortal and celestial. In both sides lies a fundamental limit to our abilities, for us to be able to maintain our form, powers and all, every one of us is thought on how to create a balance between those sides so one doesn’t get more dominance over the other.”

“My mom possessed a morality unlike any of my kind I have seen before, she preferred living out the rest of her life as a mortal than embracing her celestial heritage. She negated her powers for years and by doing so her human side was giving more dominance, with time she became vulnerable to things mortals were vulnerable to,”

“meaning if you stop using your abilities your also likely to become human like me?” I asked in conclusion.

She chuckled lightly and nodded, “ it will take a couple of years but yeah, there’s nothing that is totally invincible”

“ then what happens when your super side has more dominance than your normal side, what then?” she sighed sitting back in the chair with her smooth long fingers picking up a cookie.

“ something like that can only happen when we use our abilities more than we’re supposed to, by tapping more power from our eternal side and shifting the balance, that’s what I meant by consequences if I attempted a third jump back home today”

“ will it harm you?”

“ yes, but not immediately it will only create a breach,” she answered.

" then stuffs like longevity would follow, I’ll become resistant to forces such as aging, illness, pain and if it continues I’ll be immune to live indefinitely without sleep or air my Mortal side will be suppressed completely I will be immortal living only as energy.”

“ wow, that doesn’t sound so good,” I muttered.

“ yeah, when we remain balanced we’ve been naturally given the privilege of death and old age with a lifespan that lasts for a hundred and fifty years most times two centuries, believe me staying on this earth without expiring longer than that is a curse,” Raven said inwardly.

“watching people you know and likely your loved ones outgrow you and die peacefully, without a choice you’ll have to walk the earth for all eternity, just like Lock.” She muttered to herself.

“ wait, what do you mean by that I thought Lock is your elder brother,” I replied confusedly

“ he’s not my brother, Chris and Adam are, Lock, Lock is something else entirely. He’s complicated.”

“ come on, he looks eighteen or seventeen and a senior in high school, he can’t be what I’m assuming you just said to me.”

“don’t let his looks fool you, Lock is the oldest Member of my family, older than even my own father, he’s nearly three thousand years old.” I stared at her in astonishment for a second when she said that, but I’m not going to act too surprised this whole situation, her world has already robbed that element away from me.

I gave a faint laugh, “ so what you’re saying is that for almost three millenniums he’s been like that, looking like a teenager.”

“ like I said before, Lock’s different. he’s older, stronger, powerful and more knowledgeable than any of us. Our people often refer to someone his age as an elder. Their powers are immense exceeding the norms, but in most cases powers like that comes at a cost, after centuries their vessel begins to break down the natural body we were given weren’t built to withstand harboring energy for that long, but as an elder, there are also other options like energy transfer based on your ability, the vessel Lock is occupying is not originally his, you must have heard of the word possession before.”

“ I don’t think I like where this going, you know I have watched a lot of movies about demons exorcism and stuff please tell me he’s not a demon,” I suggested

Raven laughed. “what a mortal thing to say, No he’s not a demon, he doesn’t go around riding the bodies of helpless poor saps to make deals or incite supernatural chaos like the movies.”

“How does he do it then?”

“ easy, he transfers his essence into another body and his energy re-animates it.” She answered simply like it was easy as going shopping for some clothes. Wrapping my head around it with her explanation the teenage body currently he’s occupying is a corpse, where did he get from a morgue? Or a cemetery.

“ so uhmmm..where…”

She quickly cut me off.

“No more questions I have said enough already, I know you want to ask me where he gets them

from or probably what would happen in the next five or ten years when people start noticing he not aging. don’t bother, can’t tell you my family ’s history in one night.”

It appears she read my mind I was about to ask, but maybe I think it’s better I first digest the creepy info she just told me about that guy.

“Jeez, don’t worry I think I have heard enough already, I won’t bother asking anything” I replied contently

I always knew there was definitely something off about that him, the way he talks, the scary look in that cold eyes of his. But this, this exceeded my own imagination kind of stuff you hear about from a fictional horror movie. In fact, I’ll very much prefer not to think about even if maybe it’s for real, I try not let my mind wonder cause all it’s likely to do is simply drive me insane, at this point in my life I’m already having trouble knowing what’s possible and what’s not….

I let her eat while I pull out a thin blanket from my drawer handing it over to her once she was done.

“ here, you’ll be needing this for tonight,’

“ Thanks,” she nodded accepting it as our fingers slowly graze each other, she looked away dumping the blanket on the bed before taking off her jacket hanging it on the chair on top of mine, wearing only an inner shirt which revealed her perfect light skin. Raven picked up her cell again attempting another call to home. I returned the empty glass and cookie plate back to the kitchen, before bringing in a spare mattress I found kept in the closet of the guest room opposite mine. She sat quietly on the bed running her fingers through her hair staring at her cell.

“ any luck reaching them?” I asked knowing her answer from the look on her face.

“No, nothing at all still goes into voice mail.”

“ you know what! I need to rest I’ll worry about this later as soon as I regain I regain my strength” she said taking off her leather boots keeping it beside the bed then tucking herself in.

I placed the mattress a few meters away from her beside the window spreading new sheets on it.

“ don’t worry I’m guessing they are fine wherever they are, I saw the way you handled those guy’s back at the lake house, I’m sure your folks are all badasses too,” I just wanted to say something to cheer her up.

“ you should be terrified after seeing what I did back there,” she replied humouredly.

“Oh believe me I am, when did you learn how to fight like that..”

" I learned how to fight before I could walk,”

“You’re the strangest girl I have ever met you know that right..”

“ I’ll take that as a compliment,” she laughed.

“ it is.”

I bolted the door behind before turning off the lights to avoid someone unexpectedly walking in on the both of us by morning which would require a huge explanation on my part. I laid down gazing at the dark ceiling, lots of questions coursing through my head like what happens tomorrow and the day after that with all this supernatural stuff revolving around me, I still keep wondering how I ended up here. Weeks ago I was the new kid who moved into town and now my life hardly seems makes sense to me anymore, I’m a target wanted by some ancient organization. I hate to admit it but the only reason I feel a bit safe in this house tonight is that Raven is here with me…I’m the definition of a cowardly lion, how messed up is that.

“ Hey, there’s something I have been meaning to ask you for a while,” I said in a low tone

“ what is it?”

“why are you helping me?”

“ when Lock and your brothers visited me back at the hospital, he mentioned you as the reason why I made it out of coma, and looking at our current situation it seems I have ended up being nothing but a burden to you,”

“ does it really matter why?” she blurted out defensively. I didn’t care much I just wanted to know.

“ yes, it does to me,” I replied calmly there was a long pause between us before she said anything else.

“ I saw you as a victim pulled into my family ’s universe for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, you were harmless I didn’t think you deserve to die for something you barely even understand. But in truth, I don’t even know why I’m doing it anyway.”

“ happy now?” she sounded a bit upset like I had made her accept something she didn’t want to, the fact she cared.

“ it’s not about that, I just wanted thank you for looking out for me.”

“ just pray by the end of the day when all this finally settles, you won’t end up likely dead in the middle of it,”

“I’m not much of a believer you know that it’s been a long time since I tried doing it, pray I mean. I’m not even sure I remember how to,” I said amusedly.

“ then I bet is high time you give it a shot, you might be surprised on what might happen, Goodnight Nate,” the last thing I pegged Raven Lansdale was religious.

“ yeah, Night.”