I wake up in my own bed hoping what I remember was just a dream. As I look to my side, I see Cade and I immediately know everything from the previous day happened and I am not human. I wish I knew what I am.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine, so anything else you have to tell me?"
"Let's just say that's all for now. I don't want you to pass out again."
I nod, probably a safe decision. I will find out more later.
A few minutes later there is a slow knock at the door. My uncle and cousin are out of the house, so I make my way down to open the door as Cade was on the phone with someone. When I open the door, I saw that same creature from the desert yesterday. The same eight-foot-tall leathery demon servant with bright yellow eyes. I notice, up close, that this thing had small, dull red pores all over the revolting body in between the cracks of this leathery skin. I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out. My feet feel glued in place, I can't run or scream. The demon steps forward and brings his long claws up to snatch me and I close my eyes. When I open my eyes the demon servant was suspended in the air, screeching. That is when Cade reaches the bottom of the stairs and freezes. I turn to look at him and the demon falls to the ground. In a flash Cade's eyes turn a glowing green and the demon servant vanishes in a puff of red smoke.
"Thanks for saving me after that thing almost torn me apart. Pretty close, good use of your magic. The whole suspending in the air was pretty cool and almost too late."
"I only sent him back to the underworld. You must have done the whole suspending act."
I think back to my time at the tree, I guess the practicing had paid off.
"If they found you here, I think we should leave. Maybe do some research."
"Where can we research this stuff?"
"I know a place."
So, on that note we set off. Cade, Zane, and I hop into Cade's truck and head off to wherever he is taking me. I wish I knew what he was hiding from me. How does he know so much about what he is or where to find out more information on what's happening to me? I better find out soon though.
About an hour or so later we pull up to this rickety old house covered in an odd shade of green. It looks like it's pulled out of a horror movie. We all hop out of the car and head up the creaking steps to the slanted yellow door. Cade knocks. It takes a few seconds, but I can hear the squeaking floor boards as someone approaches the door and opens it.
"Caden! So good to see you. It been so long." An old lady with thinned white hair greets Cade then looks over at me.
"Hello Haven. How are you?" Cade replies.
The lady will not take her eyes off me, "it's time."
She waves us into the house as she retreats back into the living room. The room is tidy. It has a couch, two chairs, a window with the curtains closed, and a huge bookcase overfilled with books. Cade tells me to sit on the couch, so we do, and Zane sits on the floor beside me. Haven is at the bookshelf rummaging trying to find a book. She seems satisfied when she pulls out a book and brings it with her to an armchair that sits across a dusty coffee table from us.
"I want you to have this book. It will explain what is happening. You," she says pointing to me, "you will have to prepare yourself for all that is to come. There is danger lurking in the shadows looking for you. Aluca already knows that you are of age and how to find you. Your first mission is to discover yourself, find who you are."
"What are you talking about? What does Aluca want with me?"
"Do not linger on these silly, pointless questions. The Lahalo many centuries ago foretold there would be a daughter to two greats that will bring us out of the darkness that has befallen us all."
"What is a Lahalo? Is that a person?" I question.
Cade turns to me and leans in close to whisper, "The Lahalo is the great seer of truths. There are only a few that has ever lived. They are one of the most sacred supernaturals in the universe."
Haven gives a slight nod approving his answer. There is some silence and I open the book, which flips to the page about me by itself. I begin to read, it says;
One day there will be a child born of two greats. This child will be either our saviour or doom and face many challenges. The decisions of these challenges can be greatly influenced by ones around them and the child must not fall victim to trusting others, only themselves.
Cade starts talking so I close the book, "Where should we go Haven?"
Haven stands up and walks back over to the bookshelf, it looks like she is trying to reach the top, but she is too short, I go to stand up, but then a folded piece of paper comes floating into her hand.
"Here," she hands the piece of paper over to me, "This will help you find your way, follow the Chara."
Wait, how does she know my name? There is a loud bang outside.
"It's time to go," Haven says in a rushed tone, "they are here, you must run."
Haven pulls out a backpack, puts the book inside, and rushes us to the back door. Zane gives a whine knowing what will happen once we leave. Haven gives him a pat and closes the door. We run into the desert away from the rickety old house.
"Cade, what's going on? Is there is someone here looking for us we need to hide which is kinda hard in the middle of an open desert with no car."
"Right, grab Zane's collar and my hand. Hold on tight"
Before I can ask what he is going to do, we are in a rainforest. I have no clue exactly where though.
"What just happened Cade? Where are we?"
"We are in a forest and we have to keep moving. There is a place around here somewhere. Just be quiet please."
So, I shut my mouth and look around. This is incredible. I haven't really been outside of New Mexico before. Cade puts his hand on the trunk of a huge tree. A door forms and we enter. The place is huge.
"Wow," I say in astonishment.
"This was my parents place before they died. It sure is nice to be home for the first time in ten years."
"I'm sorry, this must be hard for you."
"I'm fine. Really, I'm happy to be home."
He gives a smile, but I can see the pain behind it. He goes over to the bookshelf and pulls out a map. It's like no map I have ever seen, it's more lines than map.
"Okay now we can go. Haven said you have to discover yourself. That means we have to figure out who your parents are. I think I know where we need to go."
"Lead the way."
We have to go to the destination by foot because it is covered with magic and we don't need the wrong people hearing about some new kids in town travelling by magic. After a half hour walk, we make it out of the forest and get onto a bus. Cade has put on a vest saying Zane is a support dog so he can come on the bus with us. We take it to a little town called Kranel. We get off and go for lunch. This has to have been the longest day of my life. We sit at a booth at Karen's Café and get burgers and fries. The food tasted so good probably because I was starving. When I look up about to say something to Cade, I notice he is staring at the window with a nervous look. I follow his gaze to meet up with the sight of a man about six foot three, dark brown hair, chiseled face, and wearing dark jeans and a dark navy-blue t-shirt. I return my gaze back to Cade and he looks at me. He brings his finger to his mouth to let me know to be quiet. We stand up slowly and move towards the back of the restaurant. I hear a bell ring letting me know that the door opened into the café. I know right then without looking back that it is that man from outside the window. I have this feeling warning me not to look back and just keep moving. There's movement behind us now and it's getting closer. We make a right and there is a door leading outside. Once outside we pause for a second not knowing where to go or what to do. Then the back door opens. It's the guy in the suit.
"You have no idea how long I have waited for this. Chara, you have come of age. So lovely to meet you," the man states.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I know you."
As I say the Cade gives me a cautious look.
"Oh my how rude of me, I did not introduce myself. I am Aluca god of the underworld. Sure you have heard of me."
I nod.
"It's time to go and you are coming with me Chara."
"Now what makes you think that?"
Just like that, black smoke engulfs us and what I see can only be described as the underworld. We are currently on a boat sailing across what looks like fire, but it isn't burning the wooden boat. I look around, Cade and Zane are not in the boat and I am not sure where they are.
"Where's Cade and Zane?" I insist.
"That's not important right now, right now you should be worried about what I am going to do with you."
"Where is my friend?"
He ignores my question as we come to a stop. We exit the boat and he takes me into a room. It's actually very nice. There's a couch, a nice coffee table, a fireplace, and a desk. The walls are all rock as if we are in a cozy cave.
"Sit down," he orders.
I do as he asks hoping he will answer my question about Cade and Zane. He doesn't.
"I have been waiting hundreds of years for you to come of age to help me. Ever since that Lahalo predicted you would wreck me. Now you can wreck them."
"Wreck who? I have no clue what you are talking about."
"Sure you don't, your mother or father must've told you something or the Glara you are with."
I shake my head hoping he gives me some answers about my mom and dad.
"Oh well isn't this perfect. You don't even know what you are, do you?"
I shake my head again. He smiles.
"So, are you going to tell me or let me sit here in wonder?"
"I think I will let you wonder. For now."
I close my eyes hoping I could do the levitation trick again, but no luck. My mind is turning trying to figure out how to find Zane and Cade and get out of the underworld. Now that's a sentence I never thought I would say. I close my eyes again really focusing on Aluca floating. When I open my eyes Aluca is gone. I get up off the couch and open the door we entered through. The coast is clear, I hear a voice, but it is with my mind not my ears. I don't recognize the voice.
'Cade and I are in a cell. I will direct you to our location.'
I think Cade is stuck in a cell with a telepath. I wait for instructions.
'You are going to walk down the hall you are in and take your first right. Then take the second left and then the next left. This should bring you to what looks like a wall. Do three slow knocks. Walk through the wall now and turn right as soon as you get through the wall. That is very important. Here you will see cells. We are in the third cell.'
As I walk up to the third cell, I see that only Cade and Zane are in there.
"Is there anyone else in there with you guys."
"No, why."
The voice came back, 'Don't tell him you heard anything.'
"No reason. You ready to roll."
"Yup, all you have to do is squeeze the sides of the lock and that should work."
I do that and the bars dissipate. Cade takes out the map and waves his hand over it. One of the lines begin to glow.
"This way."
We begin to walk through the identical hallways of the underworld until we came to a big opening in the rock. We step out in the opening and Cade says we are almost to the exit. We just have to get to the other end of the opening and hopefully not get caught. We are halfway to the other end when we are stopped in our tracks. Out from the shadows came wolves, angry wolves that surrounded us. They are as black as a starless night with big toothy grins.
"Okay Chara, you have to try to levitate these guys."
I close my eyes and really try to focus. I calm myself down and think about it one wolf at a time. I open my eyes and to my astonishment the wolves we in the air, flying high into the abyss. We walk towards the exit and I try to keep them going higher and higher. Almost to the exit we make a run for it and after a couple seconds I hear a loud thud of those wolves hitting the ground hard.
When we reach the exit, it was not a door, it was a cloud of smoke. I grab Zanes collar as Cade grabs my hand and we stepped in.