I am five, that age of fairies and unicorns. Just playing in the back woods behind our house, running free and having a blast. I slip and fall and scrape up my knee, it hurts so badly and I sit down and start to cry. Nothing is worse for a 5 year old fairy princess than to remember she is really just an ordinary girl. When all of the sudden I look up and the water in the nearby stream is no longer in the stream. Is this real? The water is dancing as if I am in a real fairy world, as if magic really does exist. I have stopped crying, I can't even feel the scrape on my knee anymore. As I calm down the water goes back to the stream as if it was never dancing, but as I am watching I can see shadows in the distance. There are five of them, and I want to be with them, more than anything I want to be with them. But as I get up and start running towards them they just seem to be getting farther and farther away. Wait! Please wait for me, and then I wake up.
That is the most I have seen of this dream, but it is the same dream I have been having for months now, since just after my Granny passed away. And just like all the other times I feel as if there is something I should be remembering, but as much as I try I just can't. I also feel overwhelming love towards the shadows in my dream, or at least one of those shadows, I don't really know for sure. But the dream keeps getting longer and longer, so if I give it enough time maybe eventually I will know what the dream means, or who the people are, or why I feel such a great love for them.
Lexi, my best friend, thinks the dream is just because of stress from missing Granny. But it feels like more than that. Of course she could be right; just maybe, I mean the only family I have ever had and have ever known was my Granny. She raised me, my mom died in child birth, and I have never known anything about my father, not that I didn't want to. Growing up my Granny never spoke of my mother or any of our family for that matter. She just flat out refused; I always just figured it was too hard on her to remember those times. But even at that my grandmother loved me, and tried to give me as normal a life as she could. But I am only 25 and already I don't have family, so maybe Lexi is right, maybe it is stress. And it probably doesn't help that a few months after my 25th birthday my Granny died in her sleep, so I truly lost the only family I have ever known. Then after getting through that Granny's solicitor gives me her Will which of course left everything to me, but there is also a letter address to me from her with her Will, and I just haven't been able to get myself to read it yet.
A part of me is afraid to read it, it will be the last thing Granny ever says to me, and I am scared that once I read it that will be it she will really be gone. Of course I understand that she is already gone, but the last part of her I have will be over once I read that letter, and I don't want to lose that last part. Well, Kenna stop lying in bed just thinking about the past, you have stuff to do.
I love my home, don't get me wrong, but one of the hardest things for me every day is to get out of bed and see all the reminders of Granny. The minute my feet touch the floor I am assaulted with memories, every corner holds a memory of us together, and I love that and the house because of that, but at least once a day I really just want the house to be a house and nothing more. Oh well, no point in prolonging this, here goes the memory assault. And like all the other times it takes me a good five minutes to collect myself once I touch the floor. But today is the three month mark since Granny passed and I promised Lexi I would read the letter Granny left me by today no matter what! And if I know Lexi she will be all over me about it if I don't get it done. I love Lexi, she is like my sister, but sometimes I just want to kick her! But I would bet people with sisters feel that way too.
Alright Kenna you have wasted two hours procrastinating and you could eat off the kitchen floor, you cleaned it so well! Just sit down and open the letter. It isn't very thick anyway, it is probably just going to say something like I love you and will always be with you. "Come on Kenna, sit down and open the damn letter! And stop talking to yourself!" Bad habit of mine, tend to say my thought out load, someday people are gonna start thinking I am crazy.
Ok Kenna seriously open the dang letter! An old key is in the envelope too, wonder what that is for? Here is the letter.
Kenna,
I love you so much, and have tried to protect you from as much as possible, but now there is so much you need to know, especially being on your own. There is a lot I can't say in this letter, but given time you will understand everything I know.
Find the painting of earth, air, wind, and fire, you use to play by it as a child, the painting is on a false wall, you open it where the halo sits. Behind it is a trunk, everything I know and need to tell you is in that trunk. There is so much I wish I could tell you myself, but there is a lot I don't even know so I wouldn't be able to tell you anyway. Things are going to change so much dear, but I know you can do this, you are so strong. I love you baby girl and I will be watching over you always.
Love,
Granny
Talk about being mysterious and cryptic! Granny was never mysterious or cryptic and now of all times she decides to be both, really! I know she refused to ever talk about our family, but come on. Hey wait! Maybe that is what is in the trunk! Maybe I will finally really learn something about who I am and where I come from! Oh God I hope so.
The painting of the elements is in the attic, I did use to play by it as a child, but how do I get the wall out of my way. I am pretty sure Granny wouldn't look too highly at me taking a sledge hammer to her wall, well I mean my wall. Wow that is going to take some getting used to. Wait she said where the halo sits, well a halo sits on your head, but that doesn't make any sense. What does the head have to do with opening this damn wall! Wait a minute, now wait a minute, the halo sits on TOP of your head! Ok, really looking at the top of the painting. Looks like there is a button or something, what the hell; I don't have any other options, let's see what pushing it does.
Crap, it worked, the wall just swung out soundlessly, that is so cool, and sure enough there is a trunk, it looks really old! Now I am starting to get excited about this stuff!
Jiminy Christmas, it is a really heavy trunk, guess I will be bringing a lamp up here to go through this, cause I sure as heck ain't moving it by myself, and I don't think anyone else needs to see this either, I mean Granny was keeping it hidden for a reason I probably should too.
Let's see I will need a nice comfy chair, check, a lamp, check, something to drink, and food for sustenance, check, never know how long this is going to take. Oh dang it, I left the key on the kitchen table, well back down the stairs I go, be right back trunk.
Alright, now I am ready, well as ready as I can be! It is a beautiful trunk, and does look really old. I wonder how long it has been in our family. The outside has a scene of the elements carved into it, huh that's strange, it is amazing though, like a work of art. How on earth did this end up in our family? It still opens pretty easy to, the lock works great, and it is in great condition, it has been well taken care of.
It is filled to the brim, I don't know how they got this thing closed. For that matter how in the heck did Granny get this thing up here? I can't lift it myself there is no way she could have. Doesn't matter Kenna, let it go, you aren't gonna find out anyway. Sitting on the top is a letter, another letter address to me of course. Well, here we go.
To my Kenna,
There is so much I want to tell you, and I couldn't leave this with anyone, there is a lot of family history in this trunk, and I was hoping I wouldn't have to get you in the middle of this, but it is our family history, and there is no escaping that. I really thought you could escape it, but I was wrong to keep this from you. I know you have always wanted to know about our family, and I am so sorry I never told you about this, maybe it would have been better if I had. But now there really is a lot you need to know. A lot of what I am going to tell you you may not believe, but everything in this trunk will help you to believe it. But all stories are best started from the beginning, and I will tell you what has been passed on through the family as the story of the beginning of your blood line.
It is said that eons ago the four elemental lords Earth, Fire, Wind, & Water fell in love with the same woman. Her name was Halaina, and according to legend she was the most beautiful woman of her time.
The four lords fell in love with her (but I don't know that elemental lords actually fall in love, I would say lust with her) and they all wanted her for themselves, but Halaina was very strong willed and refused to bow down to anyone lord or man. So each of the lords tried to win Halaina over, and consequently she fell in love with all of them. In the end Halaina ended up with child, but none of the lords knew for sure whose child it was she was carrying, and in a moment of agreement they decided that she would carry a child from all of them. However magical things work, the lords worked their magic on Halaina and she ended up carrying multiple children, but something the lords didn't anticipate was she would carry five babies not four. One of each of the children carried the element of their father, but the fifth child carried all four elements. Halaina ended up having two daughters and three sons.
Since the birth of those children there has always been five children born to the one with all four elemental powers, and it is never a set boy or girl that receives all four powers, but since Halaina's children, there has always been one to carry on all four elements. And yes, ever since Halaina the one to carry all four elements has always had five children and they have always been quintuplets. The women in your family Kenna have known this and accepted it, but when it is a man that carries this trait he must find a woman that this will happen to, not an easy thing to accept for a young woman believe me.
I know this is hard to believe, but I myself have seen it happen. This blood line is not mine Kenna; it is yours, and my late husbands. I know I never told you about it, but I was trying to protect you from this, and I know now that I shouldn't have done that to you, because you really need to be prepared for what may come. Somehow you have repressed your powers, but you need to know this incase they resurface.
Your grandfather, Aidan, and I met when I was 16. He was charming and the most amazing person I had ever seen and he had three sisters, and one brother. I saw all the baby pictures too; his mother had all five at the same time. Anyway, Aidan was the fifth child; he carried all the elements within him. Of course he didn't tell me this, because people would think he was crazy, myself included, but after we were married, and I desperately wanted to become a mother, he couldn't take not telling me. I of course was as you are probably now, I didn't believe him, and thought it was just a story to pass down through the generations, but then your grandfather showed me what he could do.
He had mastered his control of the elements, and you have this within you. I know you probably still don't believe this, but I have watch it within you your whole life, and it is there, you just don't remember you can do this, and so never thought anything of your great landscaping ability, or that it rains when you are sad, or you can start a fire easier than anyone, it is there within you, so unfortunately this also means you are destined to be a mother of five, but you are young yet, do not let this worry you too much, you have plenty of time.
It took some time, but I came to accept your grandfather, but there is also a dark side of this story. Ever since Halaina, there has also been a faction of people that think having these abilities is wrong, and they set out to destroy it, they call themselves the Restorers, they are marked with a tattoo somewhere on their bodies. The tattoo is a circle with the four elements within, and an R in the middle of it all. These tattoos can be put anywhere, but this is how to identify them because they will not tell you who they are.
Amazingly your bloodline is still alive in you, but so too are the Restorers still around. Before your grandfather and I got married, they found his family. Aidan was with me and we were on a date, but they got to everyone else. Aidan was the only one of his family to survive.
This is why I have never spoke of this before. After having quintuplets Aidan and I were a very happy family, and it was found that your mother, her name was Kadence and she was beautiful, was the one to carry on this bloodline. I have put pictures of her in the trunk for you; I know you would want to know what she looked like.
Anyway, when my babies were 9 the faction found us, and there was a horrible accident, it took everyone from me except your mother. I didn't know what to do I was so lost, I didn't want the Restorers to come back to finish us off, so I took your mother into hiding. I moved us as far away as I could and tried to raise your mother and keep her secret, and we did, for a time.
Then when your mom was 19 she met your father, I have also included pictures of him, as well as their wedding day, his name was Jacob, I know you thought your father just ditched your mother, but that isn't true, it was an easier story than the truth. We have a very painful past.
They were so in love, but your mother never told your father about her bloodline, she wanted to, but I had instilled in her the necessity to keep quiet to keep everyone safe. But they were happy, so very happy. After two years of marriage your mom got pregnant, and Jacob was ecstatic, he couldn't wait to be a father. But when your mom was about 8 months along they were driving home from dinner and got in a car crash, I still do not know if it was truly just an accident or if the Restorers had found us again. But your father died instantly, and your mother was close behind him, but she refused to let go of life until she gave you all a chance at one. I got to the hospital as they were trying to save the babies, and your mother told me she couldn't go to Jacob until she was sure you all had a chance. And she did, she had five beautiful babies, and then she went to Jacob.
I tried to keep you all, but the state didn't think I was fit to take five children on. They only let me have you and I thank God every day I at least got that. Because there was no other family they sent them into foster care for adoption, and they wouldn't let me know where they went, or know anything about them after that day. But I have dug up information on all of them. What I have found about them is in this trunk, it isn't much but it is something. I know when you were all born before your mother died she did name all five of you. Kenna you have two brothers, Aidan & Clay, and two sisters, Raine & Aurora, I don't know if their names have been changed but this is what my Kadence named them, and who they will always be to me.
Kenna this is your family, and they are out there somewhere, and so are the Restorers. You can do as you wish with this information, but you need to be prepared for whatever comes at you in life. There is a chance that you can live out your life and the Restorers will never find you, I truly don't know. But you need to know this to be prepared no matter what. I am so sorry I didn't let you grow up knowing this so you would be better prepared, but please don't be mad at me, I was doing what I thought was best. I love you baby girl and will watch over you always.
With all my love,
Granny
Wow, Granny must have been on some pretty heavy meds that I didn't know about. Magical powers, elemental lords, who is she kidding. I need a break. Maybe there is at least something to explain about my mother in this trunk. But I am on overload right now; need to just take a breather.
Outside the wind is howling like crazy, the weather man didn't say anything about high winds today. Huh, oh well, it is already nine, so might as well just head off to bed, and get a fresh start in the morning and go from there.
And of course the dream returned with a vengeance. I look up after the water returns to the stream and I see the five shadows, but one of them is more clear. It is a man, he is about my age. He looks like a picture I have seen somewhere. He isn't looking at me, but behind me. With dread I slowly turn around and in the distance are shadowy figures, they are running at me, or are they running at the man?
This time there is a definite urgency to my dream. I woke in a cold sweat with one clear thought, it is, he will need you soon. And that is it, but who is he? And how long before he needs me? Am I suppose to drop everything and go running to someone I don't even know? Not a very informative dream. But was it just a dream or was it something more? As if I needed another thing to keep me from sleep!
This morning broke bright and beautiful, and I am surprisingly rested after last night's dream. Of course the dream did keep me up for a little while trying to figure out who he is, I have never seen him before, but that can be expected after everything I learned last night, I mean I have a family somewhere out there and a mother and father that loved me, I wish I could have known them. And now this he will need me B.S. Oh dang, it's Monday, I have to get to work!
I work at the aquarium, to me it is the most soothing place in the world, and after the story my Granny left me last night, some soothing is in order.
I live in Rainier, Washington, population next to nothing. I don't think there are even 2,000 people in town, but that is what Granny wanted when we moved here I guess. But my sanctuary for the day aka my job is the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, which is only a little over 30 minutes from home. And whenever I am at work I seem to be able to think more clearly. And I honestly love my job, and everyone leaves me alone at work. I just take care of the animals and they take care of me.
Lexi calls for us to go to lunch, but I need time right now, I have a lot to think over, so I told her I would just meet up with her later. The animals helped take my mind off of everything, there is nothing like it.
Work is what I needed; it helped me get my head back on strait and gave me time to think. So on the one hand everything Granny said was well nuts, but what if there is some truth to what she said? Like I have a family out there I never knew about. I am not alone after all, and it isn't a small family either! But I am not entirely sure what to do with that information just yet. I still have pretty much the whole trunk to go through, so maybe that will help.
I can't believe there is so much stuff in this trunk, a lot of it is pictures, and some of those are pretty dang old pictures. I think that is what the entire bottom portion of this trunk is full of, and some old looking drawings too. Huh, wonder who those are of. This one says it is of Kadence, my mom, and this one is of Jacob our dad. Wait a minute that is the man from my dream. This is getting way to weird, it looks like the man from my dream, but different somehow.
Of course another letter, there's a big surprise, but this is address to my children, then this can't be from Granny. Well, I am the only child that knows anything about this trunk so here we go.
To my darling children,
If you are reading this, then I am not with you. I was so afraid this would happen. Hopefully you are with someone that loves you and you know that no matter what you have thought; your father and I did not abandon you. I wanted to be a mother more than anything in this world, but life doesn't always do what we want it to do. Right now the doctors are trying like crazy to save the five of you. I can't wait to meet you, but I know you won't remember ever meeting me. I am pretty sure I will not make it passed this night, but you five are so strong and I know you will make it. Know that your life will be difficult, but it can also be so fulfilling. There are so many things I wish I could explain to you, but I know I don't have the time. I don't know where you are in life now, but what gifts you have are not evil, they are to be cherished and used to help where they can, but you have to use them quietly. Believe me I know they can be hard to control sometimes, but they can be controlled, and no matter what happens none of this is your fault. You are precious, and you all deserve the best life has to offer, go out and live the life you deserve. Know I am looking down on you all, and hope to see you again someday. You are always in my heart, and I pray that I can be in yours.
Your loving Mother