(Six years ago)

One’s high school graduation is meant to be a transition from one life to the other. Transition from childhood to adulthood. It is when a person makes the dreams they have a reality. A blessing to many of those who look forward to it. For one person, the transition into adulthood had already come and passed. She was forced long ago to grow up. Because of this she knew that her graduation wasn’t going to be a blessing sent from above. She knew that she now had a chance to draw the evil away that follows her from her family.

The night of her graduation, while her family slept, she packed. She filled the bag she called her pouch full of important items. She took with her savings, clothes, a blanket and two journals. In a large solid wood trunk she placed all items from her room that said anything of her ever living in the room. She opened the door to her room, put her pouch over her shoulder and picked up the trunk, closing the door behind her for the last time.

The last thing her parents, and two brothers heard of her was the note she left taped to her door, a note that said:

Hey guys,

I’m sorry. You know why I had to do this. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Life will be easier. Have faith and maybe life will find us together again.

Always,

Gracie D.

She took the trunk and hid it in the one place she knew know one would find it, and she walked to no where in particular. As long as she got away from the town where she had already caused pain.

He hated days like this. They were the worst. He worked for a man who the public began calling, The Troll. The Troll had no name, at least not that he knew of. But the Troll was a menace, who was spectacular at scaring people, which is mostly what he did, and all of what he was good at. But this “henchman”, which is what he would be called in one of those old movies, mostly thought the troll was stuck on himself, he thought he was better and more powerful than could be imagined in this world.

“Taylor!” He was snapped out of his daydreaming when another of the Troll’s “henchmen” called out his name.

“What?” he replied angrily. He didn’t like it when they used his first name, he hated his first name, it made him feel like he was a kid again. He gave the henchman a dirty look.

“Come on, the target is on it’s way.”

Taylor Mathews hated it when they referred to the women that they captured as objects. But then, with the way his imagination went he would end up imagining a life and personality that came with the name. That would create emotional attachment. Empathy. “That would ruin the troll’s plans,” he thought sarcastically. But it was easy for him to feel sorry for people. When he was a kid he tried to take in a homeless man. His mom would come home and look at him sweetly and say, “Now Taylor. We can’t allow strangers in the house.”

After being made to feel smaller than he really was, he escorted the man to the door. He would forever remember what that old man told him. “It was a pleasant thought. You are a young man with a kind heart. I know that kindness will help save the world one day.” The man said as he stepped onto the porch. At the time the man made a small boy very happy. Now that small boy was a grown man who thought about that comment, and hated himself.

Just as the thought stuck him, so did a young woman who looked oddly familiar. He couldn’t think of where he had seen her before, and tried to remember as he watched as she walked away. The recognition of the woman, which felt as if it had something to do with the old man, struck him dumb for a long enough period of time to cause the annoying partner to call out his name once more.

“Okay!” he bellowed as he looked back at the woman who in turn looked back at him. He walked towards the building where the target lived and watched as a tall blonde stepped out of the door. He walked up to her and did his job, as his coworker stood near by and waited for his cue.

“Hey,” he greeted as if he knew her.

“Uh, hi.” she said and walked faster. She remembered the news cast that she was watching just before she left for work. Women where being abducted for the past few months, their bodies being found every day.

He knew what she was thinking, which meant he had to try harder. The same thing had happened yesterday. He glanced back to make sure the other guy was still following them. “Ah man, I knew you wouldn’t remember me!” he said, sighing loudly. She stopped and turned. The “old friend from school” act, always worked. He walked up to her. “You mean I don’t look the slightest bit familiar?”

“I’m not sure,” she said slowly.

“You know they all tell me I have changed a lot.” He knew from experience what was coming next. She was going to say he looked like someone who wasn’t popular, probably from elementary school.

“Let me guess,” she said thoughtfully. She was in the spirit now. “6th grade!”

“You got the grade right. Keep going.” he said to her. This was about the point where he started to feel sorry for them. He knew what was going to happen to her whether she was who the troll was looking for or not. He heard the very close footsteps of his partner, and interrupted her thinking. “Wait, let me just say, first,” then, in a whisper, “I’m sorry.” then, as usual, he coughed loudly, and watched as within seconds her facial expression went from deep in thought to confused to shock to fear. The other man grabbed her, and held a handkerchief covered in chloroform to her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in their sockets and she was out.

“What took so long?” the other guy said as they dashed into the alley.

“Shut up.” Taylor said as they placed the unconscious woman in the back seat of the black car.

There is one popular way to find information in the modern world. With that one little amazing tool you can find almost anything you want. With a simple Internet connection you can learn anything you want. There is a hard to find site on the Internet that has more information that anyone expects. It is a network called The Book. What it looks like is an internet website obsessed with the supernatural happenings that normal happy Americans could try to connect to in the hopes of having some fun. And that was basically what it was, an internet site, that was only accessible in certain areas by certain people. The main pages are there for the fancy of the Americans, and people from all over the world who could afford internet. Those public areas were made for the public. There is no way for them to know how to get in the other parts.

The Book was created by the United States government whose efforts where combined with the knowledge of the Ancients and many people around the world called the Keepers. Their purpose was to protect the earth from total domination by one called the Unknown. The Unknown was just that. Unknown. It was a being whose soul purpose in life was to use his power to dominate the earth.

According to legend during a period called the Arising the Unknown came to earth by way of fire, and took over the body of a young man. The soul of the young man was forced out, killing him forever, the Unknown used his powers to turn the minds of men toward evil, to become his army. He was unstoppable. But the event had been foretold many thousands of years before, and the seers that foretold it, created the ones who would destroy the Unknown.

The creation of the ones powerful enough to destroy the unknown took the seers years. All they had at their disposal was good magic, which was quite powerful then. In a secret ceremony, still unknown to man, they created a prophecy and three separate liquids. Those liquids were to be consumed by women of three families of magical ways. Only those three families knew of what would befall the earth thousands of years later. Only those families knew that they would be key in creating the saviors of earth.

The families of the women who consumed the liquid, which came to be known as the potion, soon changed greatly. All three were forced to move far from the village they had lived in for many years. They all went separate ways, and were sworn to secrecy when it came to telling of the Arising of the Unknown. Over time, the families forgot of the secret, because they were to not speak of it. Two of the families quickly ceased the use of magic, because it was considered wrong where they now lived. The last family, the most powerful, continued to practice, although in a clandestine way, they too forgot of the prophecy.

Twenty years before the Arising began, three tiny baby girls where born to three women, who didn’t make it through the births. The three babies were all born at the same moment of the same day, all within the distance of three miles of each other. They did make it. Sixteen years after their birth, descendants of the seers found them, and trained them for the Arising.

When the Arising began, the sky lit up with fire, and a star fell from the sky, or so the people who witnessed it thought. The Unknown’s essence, invisible to the mortal eye, inhabited the body of the first life form it sensed. It was a young man, whose soul was forced out, and passed on. Months from that day, the Unknown’s army was built, and it was preparing for battle. But the three young women, who were named by the seers descendants as Destiny, Fate and Chance, were prepared for the Unknown. The had trained for four years before the Arising, and their training was effective in the battle of good and evil.

After battling for nearly a year, good conquered evil, and the Unknown was destroyed. The women who defeated the Unknown where allowed to make a life of their own choosing. There wasn’t nothing else to fear, the world was safe.

It wasn’t until twenty four-years ago, in present time that magic ceased to be practiced by the descendants of the most powerful of the three families. No one knew of it, because no one remembered, by intervention by the seers, that the world was at risk of being destroyed. To people in modern times, magic didn’t exist.

A thirty-three year old woman sat at her desk typing information into the Book. She didn’t know what importance the information was. She was on a need to know basis, and she really didn’t care. She just knew that she had to get the information typed in in precisely the way that she is told, or she will lose her job. She was the best person at doing what she was hired for. She was told to tell inform her boss the moment she had all the information typed in. When she completed the final word she pushed the red button on the phone that sat beside her, there was an immediate answer.

“Sir, I have the information in.” she said.

“Thank you, you may go home.” said the man she has never met.

“Thank you sir.” she said, and he hung up.

When he hung up the phone, he grabbed the receiver of another, that had only one button, and he pressed the one button. In doing so he contacted the leaders of every group of magical beings that are known to the U.S. Government. When he was sure that he had everyone’s attention, he said into the receiver, “We’ve found two of them.”

Only an hour later, every magical being known had made their way to the office building that housed the association dedicated to the continued existence of the world as we know it. This association is called the Guardians. All the members of the Guardians sat around the huge round table in the board room of the building. At the head of the table sat the man who made the call, Jackson, and beside him, his boss, Nicole Daie, the one who created the Guardians, fifteen years ago. She is the one who is in constant contact with the U.S. Government, anytime anything important comes up. To her right sat the Vice President of the United States of America, and in front of her, on the speaker phone that sat on the table, was the President.

Nicole Daie stood up and began speaking. “Thank you all for joining me.” she said, as if they wouldn’t have come. “This is an important moment for the world.” As she spoke, translators did their job to relate to the foreign members what she was saying. “We have succeeded in finding the 75% of our future. We have been searching for nearly a decade, and we have finally put a dent in the task we set out to perform.”

In a British accent, a man stood up, “If my people were set to the task we would have already been complete.”

“Sir, as I have told you before, I set up this operation myself and with my own money and time. At the beginning, I didn’t have the money to hire your people, who, according to what I have witnessed, don’t have respect for what we are trying to do here. So I ask you, once again, to allow me to do what I have been trying to do.” the man grunted and sat down. Then she continued. “Our task has been and still is a long and complicated one. We have already done the impossible by connecting a world of people through one cause. Unlike during times of war between nations, we several countries have connected in league against others, we have connected all of them, all countries, angst or none, in effort to save the world against one enemy, one enemy who hasn’t surfaced in many years.”

Once again, Nicole was interrupted. By another man, an American man. “Who is to say that this enemy will resurface? Excuse me for interrupting, but is there any proof that he or it will return?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, there is.” came a voice from the back of the room. The voice, a man’s, walked toward the front of the room and stood beside Nicole. Thick dark framed glasses sat on the end of his nose, and a head full of gray white hair covered his head. “And who are you?” said the American man who had asked for the proof.

“I am the seer, or well, the a descendant of a seer. That means I can see things, you know other things. My name is Jonathan White.”

“How nice, we have a crazy old man telling us what to do.”

“No,” Nicole piped in, “No one tells you what to do, if you want the root of all evil ruling the world. Mr. White is the direct descendant of the seer who foresaw the first coming. He foresaw the second one. He maybe a little eccentric, but he knows what he is doing. Now can we get back to business. Thank you Mr. White.” she said, and pointed him to a seat. “As I was about to say, but we have found two of the three people who will defeat the Unknown. We still need the third. Who just so happens to be the most powerful of them all. I have my best people watching over the two we know of. We will bring them in as soon as we know who the third one is.”

“Who are the ones we know, do we have names?” asked one man.

“Do they practice their magic?”

“No, they don’t practice their magic, but yes we know their names.”

“How did we find them, I mean, if they don’t practice their magic how did we track them?”

“We tracked them by using the Book, and the identifying spells that members developed. The spells must not have worked when it comes to the third of the women. She must be protected by a cloaking spell.”

“What are their names?”

“The ones we know of are Lucy Chance Williams and Amelia Fates.”

“They take their names from their predecessors. Fate and Chance, correct?”

“Yes. It was foretold that the ones who will save the world again will be named for their ancestor.” Mr. White said.

“Then, you should be able to find the third, merely by searching the birth records of the state. Their birthdays are the same. Search the records for that birthday, then search for the name, Destiny. Wouldn’t it work?”

“The moment we learned of the names of the first two, we set up a team to search the birth records, and the Book for anything. So far, nothing has been found. All we must do now is wait.”

“I have an idea,” said the voice on the phone, the President. “The third is the most powerful, correct?”

“Yes, sir.” Nicole said.

“Well, in that case, she had to have come into her powers by now, right?”

“It is possible,” she said, “but not likely.”

“Appease me, find a way to track supernatural activity in the state. Track every thing that isn’t already known to the government. The only unknown magical beings are evil, or protectors of earth. Find way to register the girls we know, and watch. Would it work?”

“It could. I’ll get people on it right now Mr. President.” Nicole said, then looked at the others. “You three, you and you, take the data bank in the Book and create a tracking device of all magical beings. This should track their movement through the state. Go.” She turned to Jackson. “Get people on finding a way to register the girls, and get twice as many on the search for supernatural activity within the state. Go.” Then she turned her attention to the rest of the members. “To all of you who don’t live within state on a normal day, restrict movement of yourself and your kind to out of state. We will find her. We have to find her. I will contact you the minute we get anything. Thank you.” With that she left the room.

Just five blocks away a young woman sat huddled in the corner of a very cold, very dark room. She was shaking with her hands bound behind her and her feet tied together. Gagged and bruised, she prayed she would get out of this safely. Now she knew why she was so afraid of the dark when she was a kid. She cried as she remembered her childhood, and she hated herself for not realizing that the man wasn’t someone from her that time.

She heard the loud rattling of a doorknob. A sound that should have been quiet, but was magnified by the hugeness of the room. She thought about working loose the ropes around her arms, but figured it was useless when she wriggled her wrists. The footsteps echoed as they drew closer. Suddenly out of the darkness came the silhouette of a man.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked her in a deep voice. She slowly shook her head no. He was silent. Then mostly to himself, he said, “I try to tell them. I show them how to do it, I tell them what to do and who to do it to. I have yet to see true results from them.” The he turned the voice on her once more. “You are not the one I seek. You are of no use to me. You must die.” she started to wail, and he turned away.

Taylor Mathews sat quietly in the hard chair outside of the Troll’s quarters. He was told by one of the minions that he was wanted, but that was over an hour ago. He had never met the Troll, but neither had a lot of other people. He was about to met the most feared man in the business, and he didn’t really care. The worst he could do is kill him, or have him killed. At least he wouldn’t be kidnapping helpless women for no reason.

Suddenly he began to think of today’s job, and he thought about the woman who he tricked and drugged. He had began to feel sorry for her when she was barely conscious and crying in the back seat of the black car. He thought about the woman who bumped into him just before he tricked the target. What if she knew the woman, and saw him talking to her? He decided he didn’t care what happened to him. He deserved what he got.

“Taylor.”

He grimaced when he heard his name. “Yeah?” he said.

“He’s ready for you.”

“Woo who.” he said as unhappily as he could. He stood up and walked into the office.

The moment he walked in he realized he should have known what it would look like. It was dark, cold and cramped. There was a desk, a bed, a couch, a chair, a file cabinet, a dresser and a closet sized bathroom in the corner. The man rarely left the room, and never left the building during the day. “Taylor Mathews.” Taylor nearly screamed when he heard the name he hated. “Once again you have brought me one I wasn’t looking for. It has been this way for a nearly a year. How long will this go on?” The man spoke slowly and calmly.”

Taylor’s first thought was “Until you kill me or start looking yourself.” but instead he said, “I don’t know sir. It all depends on whether or not we will find who you are looking for.”

“We will, we must!” the troll yelled as he hit his fist on the desk. Taylor still couldn’t see his face. The troll took a breath and said, “You have something to get rid of in the basement.” and he turned his back on Taylor.

He left the room angrily and stormed to the basement. He got to the door and paused. He thought of the old man he tried to do good by when he was a kid. “I have an opportunity to do something right. I wanted to do something good once, and I was told I would help save the world. What am I going to do? He unlocked the basement door, and walked over toward the whimpering that was coming from the corner. He saw her lying in the floor on her side, she had fallen over. She started kicking and shaking her head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here. Just be quiet, close your eyes and don’t move. Pretend to be unconscious, or we won’t get out of here, you understand?” when she shook her head yes, he put his finger to his mouth, “shh.” and nodded. He picked her up and put her over his shoulder, and walked out of the basement. Going to the back door, he passed many of his “co-workers” who thought they knew what he was doing. He put her in the back seat of his car and drove towards the docks.

When he knew he was out of site of anyone from the building he turned down a road and went toward the abandoned side of town. Pulling the car into an unseen location, he opened the back door of the car, and looked at his passenger. “Before I untie you and take off the gag, you have to promise not to run or scream, I will get you back into town, safely, but I can’t do that without your cooperation. Understand?” She shook her head yes, and he untied her and removed the gag. “Okay, come with me and I’ll get you some food, and water, okay?”

“Okay,” she said hoarsely. “Why are you helping me?”

“In a minute, we have to make sure we’re not seen.” he guided her into one of the buildings. He sat her down on an old couch, he said, “stay,” and went into a small kitchen area and got a bottle of water and an apple, then went back to her. Handing her the water he said, “All I have is this apple, is that okay?” she said yes and he sat down in a chair across from her.

“The bag you had is in the car,” he said.

In between bites, she managed to say, “Why are you helping me?”

“Because I don’t like what I have become, and a want to change that. I work for a very evil man who needs to be stopped, and you are going to help me do that.”

She looked at him over her bottle of water. “How am I going to do that?” she asked, visibly scared.

“By not turning me in. I know that’s mean to ask. But I need freedom to try and stop him. When he is stopped I will turn myself in. Then you are going to leave the state, go on vacation, move a way, just don’t let them know you have lived. That will clue them in to my plan. Promise me you will do what I said. You don’t have to see or hear of me again. When I have turned myself in and he has been caught, you can say you were captured, and nearly killed, I’ll back your story up. Will you do it?”

“So, it was …”

“The Troll, yes.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Good. Thanks. The name’s Taylor, Taylor Mathews. ”

“Maria Anne Anderson.”

When dark came, he drove her to a diner near her house, and gave her money for food, and left her. He went back to his hideaway in the abandoned apartment building to think. He had to figure out how he was going to stop his former boss, without getting caught. He hoped that Maria did what he told her to do, and left the state. All he could do now was think.

As the sun rose on a new day, it warmed every thing its light touched. Many things that were out before the sun came up, scurried to find protection from its warm rays. Other things gladly stepped out of the cold darkness to be bathed and the warm glow of sunlight. On the older side of town, as the sun came up, a young woman packed her items back into the pouch that she carried with her. She had not slept, because the things in the dark did not let her. Instead, she wrote. In her two journals she wrote different things. In one she wrote about the previous day. In the other she wrote things she knew she had to remember, because her life depended on it. In a note book she wrote a letter that will be sent to her sister, because she felt she had to let someone know she was alive.

She chose to never return to her home, because she knew that with her return she would bring fear. She was cursed to be chased by evil, but she wouldn’t let that curse hurt the ones she loved. So she ran. Away from her home, away from having to worry about putting her family in danger. Away from ever letting anyone in her heart, because doing that will ultimately put them in danger.

She packed away her things, and slung her pouch over her shoulder, and strode into the sunlight, into what ever life had in store for her.

Jonathan White nearly ran toward the stairs of the building he now slept in. It was where he worked, which was becoming his life. His head still hurt from the vision he had, and he felt like lying and bed for a week, but he couldn’t. It was his obligation as the descendant of a seer to tell the authorities of what he saw, if he didn’t it meant the end of the world as he knew it. He knew he was nearly to the stairs when he passed the elevators. He didn’t take them because of his claustrophobia. So he always took the stairs, no matter how many flights he had to climb.

Twenty minutes later he was on the twelfth floor, and rounding the corner to his boss’s office. He turned the corner walked two yards, and burst into the room. There were ten other people in the room, with his boss, and automatically felt embarrassed.

“What is it Mr. White?” Nicole Daie said with urgency. She knew that anytime he acted in the manner he was, it was important.

“Excuse me for the interruption,” he said, when she nodded, he continued. “I had a vision. It interpreted it and it told me that you aren’t going to find the third by searching the birth records.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“There isn’t a birth certificate for the third one. There will be nothing of use by searching hospital medical records. The date she celebrates as her birthday is really not a birthday at all. It is something else, I am not sure what.”

“Thank you. If anything else comes up let us know. You have saved us some time.” Nicole said.

Mr. White turned to walk out but collapsed in the door way. One of the other people in the other people in the room said, “Should I call an ambulance?”

“Call medical personnel who are already in the building they’ll take care of him. He is having a vision.” she said, looking at the concerned woman.

“Had.” Mr. White moaned. “I had a vision. Give me some aspirin I’ll be fine.” he said then began to stand up.

“Are you sure you are alright?” Nicole asked.

“Fine, want to know what I saw?”

“If you feel up to it.”

“Sure.”

“You silly old man.” Nicole said, more out of concern.

“It was a word and a number. “Fire 091979” was it. That’s all. I have no idea what it means.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, those numbers in flames. That is the most direct that a vision has ever been, and then, that’s the least I have ever been given. I myself am baffled.” he said, rubbing his forehead.

“Fire 091979.” Nicole repeated aloud. “What could it mean?”

“Should we inform the others?” Jackson, her assistant, asked. “Maybe they can make something of it.”

“NO!” shouted Mr. White, who immediately grabbed his forehead. “It is her. Miss Daie must figure it out.”

“How do you know?” Jackson asked, always critical of Mr. White.

“I am psychic, respect your elders!”

“Enough!” Nicole was fed up. “I will let them know that we have made some small breakthroughs, and that we are getting close to finding her. But I will try to figure this out on my own. Now all of you, I need to be alone to think.” When they all began to clear out, and Jackson remained, she turned to him, “You need to let me ask the questions, go.” she said and pointed at the door.

When everyone was out of the room she sat at her desk, leaned her head back and began to relax. Soon she was seeing “Fire 091979” just as Mr. White had described it, and she concentrated. For an hour, she did this, working and re working the numbers and letters to try and mean something. Then suddenly, she snapped up, alert. She stood up, grabbed her purse and jacket of the coat rack by her door, and left.

As she ran by, her secretary asked her where she was going. “I am going to the library, I’ll be back in an hour.”

Ten minutes later she walked into the Memorial Library thinking to herself, “It took me an hour to think of this?!” She walked up to the front desk and asked the older woman sitting there if she could direct her to the microfilm of old news papers. “Follow that bookcase, when it ends take a right a left and a right. There will be a door with a sign above it saying “Microfilm and Microfiche”. ” Nicole said thank you and followed the woman’s directions. She opened the door and went right woman at the front desk of that room.

“I was wondering, do you have the state newspapers on microfilm from 1979?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact we do. Is there any particular month? There are a lot of newspapers in the state.”

“September to December.”

“Okay, follow me.”

Nicole followed the short woman toward the Microfilm of the date she specified. The woman showed her how to find the dates and papers she wanted and how to work the machines. When she was done showing her, Nicole thanked the woman and set about looking. Finding the September films, she grabbed a few different papers and took them to a machine.

It didn’t take her long, using 091979 as 09-1979, or September 1979, to find something that mentioned fire. The first newspaper she found was one dated September 20, 1979. She read:

It is assumed that the fire that destroyed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen James was set yesterday, Sept. 19. The were in their recently bought home, having a small get together with two friends, when they started to smell smoke.

“I figured that it was the cake I had in the oven burning,” says Mrs. James. “I stood up to go check, and I looked towards the kitchen. My husband knew what I was thinking and he said, “That’s not coming from the kitchen,” he pointed toward the living room and I saw the huge cloud of black smoke.” Mr. James continued for her when she became emotional. “I told William, one of our guests, that we have to get her outside. He said he had to go get Beth, his wife, she was in the back area of the house. He forced us to the backdoor, which was our only way out, and he went to the back of the house.”

Mr. and Mrs. Logan didn’t make it out of the burning house. By the time the James’ made it out the entire home had been engulfed by flames. The bodies were found last night merely twelve feet from the exit.

It is not yet known how the fire started but foul play is suspected.

“So it was 09-19-79.” she said to herself. Nicole didn’t realize she had been crying until she the librarian had asked her if she was alright.

“Oh, yes, just a sad story. Is there any way I can print this off?”

Twenty minutes later, she was back at the office, waiting for Mr. White to come in. She jumped when she heard her secretary buzz. She hit the button on the small speaker and said, “What is it Carol?” she asked.

“Mr. White is here.”

“Send him in.” a moment later the door opened.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Have a seat.” when he was seated comfortably, she said, “September 19, 1979.”

“Huh?”

“There was a fire on September 19, 1979. Fire 09-19-79.”

“I told you that you were the one to figure it out.”

“Yes, but I have no idea what that has to do with finding the third girl. That’s what I want from you.”

“Oh no. I just got rid of the aftershock of the last one.”

“I’m sorry, but you are all we have to do this, you are the only living seer we know of.”

“You can use your power.”

“What?”

“Your power. You have one. You just never use it. I am still weak from the onslaught of two visions within the time of one hour. If I have another I will go into a coma, figuratively speaking, of course. You can help me bear the burden.”

“Don’t make me do this.”

“I can’t make you, you know that, you are my boss. But, you will have to wait at least twenty four hours to get anything from me. If baring the force of another vision, I will not regain consciousness for a day, and you know as well as I do that when I come out of it I may not remember what I saw.”

“But…”

“But nothing, I would hold what ever you have for me, I will go in, and you will see what I see. If you don’t want to do it, you will still have to wait whether I do it now or later. Why do you avoid your abilities when you run the only operation connecting people with abilities?”

“I don’t know, fine I’ll do it.” she said, sighing heavily.

Taylor knew that the people he worked with were probably wondering where he was. He knew that the longer he waited to go in, the more the started to wonder. He needed to find some proof to give to the authorities that the man they were looking for in the murders of eleven young women was the man he was going to give them.

His first thought was to anonymously tip them that the man he was working for was into some kind of drug smuggling business. When they go to search the building they would find evidence that he was the one that had the women kidnapped and killed. But Taylor wasn’t so sure that they would find evidence, or anyone in the building.

That was how the troll was mysterious. It was strange how he knew when something was going to go down. He always knew when someone in his midst was about to turn him in. And the ones who had attempted to do so were no longer living. That was the soul reason that Taylor didn’t go into work today.

Finally he decided to go out and get something to eat, in the only place he knew of that none of the other henchmen frequented.

When he made it to the diner in the business district of the city, he sat at his usual booth. Just because the rest of them didn’t eat there didn’t mean that he followed their led. The reason why none of the others ate there was because of the large number of law enforcement officers that frequented the diner. They were afraid that their guilt would show when they came in contact with an officer. And oh my were they guilty.

Every time he came in the diner, he was reminded of home. There was a similar diner in his hometown, and he longed to go back. But this was the closest he could come to home again. He had changed so much that his parents wouldn’t even know who he was. His mother especially. The last he heard of her, she was developing Alzheimer’s Disease, and she barely remembered her own name some days. But that was over a six years ago.

The minute he stared thinking about his house and his old room, he started to remember the woman from the day before. The one that ran into him just before their target, Maria, emerged from her home. Then he suddenly knew where he had seen her before. The morning after he graduated from high school, he was unlocking the front door of the house he longed to return to, and he saw her walking towards the sunset. He remembered thinking that he might have graduated with her.

“Well, speak of the devil,” he thought to himself as he glanced toward the door that opened with the sound of a tinkling bell. “Wait, no,” he thought, “she’s not the devil, the troll is,” that made him smile.

He watched her as she sat down two booths away from him. He debated to himself on whether or not to go talk to her. “The worst that could happen is rejection.” he told himself as he stood up. He strode over to her booth and said, “Is this seat taken?” She looked up at him and he saw vague recognition in her eyes. He held out his hand and introduced himself the way he always did, that is, when he wasn’t trying to con a helpless woman. “The name’s Mathews.”

“No,” she said.

“Uh?” he replied.

“No, the seats not taken.” she said. When he sat down, she held out her hand, and said, “The name’s D.” she was mocking him.

She knew she was making a mistake. The first real conversation she had in years. That was, in her opinion a sign of getting to close, she made it an effort to avoid familiarity at all costs. She knew she would probably never see him again, so it wouldn’t be ultimate doom for him.

“You’re mocking me.” he said plainly after she introduced herself. He shook her hand with a smile on his face.

“That’s possible, yeah.” she had said.

“Just “D”, nothing else?”

“Just Mathews, nothing else? No first name?” she tossed back.

“I hate my first name. What’s your excuse?”

“I don’t want you to know who I really am to avoid putting anyone one else in danger.” she thought of saying. But instead she explained, “I find one letter simple and unique.” Oh, if only her life were that simple.

“Good excuse.” he replied. “Where you from,” he asked, thinking “as if you’re going to tell me the truth, like you didn’t do with your name.”

“Here and there.” she said, holding back the “I know what you are after. Your not getting it.”

“Oh, for how long? Everyone started from somewhere.” he said.

“I don’t really know where I started from. I will never know.” she thought, thinking of what used to be home, and how it will never be again. “A year or two.” she said, “more like six.” she thought.

He knew where she started from, he was almost positive he went to school with her, although he wasn’t familiar with her then. The person he thinks she is, or was, was from a different crowd than he, he was popular, she wasn’t. “Ever thought of going back? To where you started?” he asked.

“Oh, every day. I just can’t.” she said, shocked that she let something like that slip.

“Oh, why? That’s if you don’t mined me asking.”

“Uh, I fought with my parents, they kicked me out. They don’t want me back.” she lied. They didn’t need her back, they were safer without her there.

“Oh, that sucks. Have you had contact with them?” he managed to say before a waitress arrived. “He ordered his usual, and looked at his new friend to order.

“Oh, uh, no, I don’t want anything.” she managed to stutter out.

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was embarrassed. She didn’t have the money. “You sure? Come on, order something, I’ll buy, the least I can do for you, you answered all of my snoopy questions,” he said, trying to act like he didn’t see that she didn’t have the money.

“No. I’m not hungry.”

He looked at the waitress and said, “Double the order I just made. Thanks.” The waitress took down what he said and walked away.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what? I’m really hungry today.” he said smiling. Changing the subject he said, “I asked you all of those questions, what do you want to know about me?” he said, stretching out on the bench.

“Nothing, really, I got to go.” she said, picking her bag up.

“Oh come on, I’m not that hungry. You know I ordered that for you. Besides, when you see how good the food they make here looks, you’ll have to eat it. Please, stay.”

“Why are you so desperate to have me stay?” she asked.

“Well, this has been the best conversation I have had in a while.” It was true talking to the other henchmen wasn’t that great.

“Fine, just a little longer.” she said to him. “Much longer and you’ll be in more danger than you have ever imagined.” she thought, but didn’t say.

“So, back to my last question,” he said smiling, “what do you want to know about me?”

“What ever you want to tell me.”

He decided he would tell her where he grew up, see if he seen any recognition in her eyes, like he had before. “Be prepared to sit a while.” he was going to make sure she stayed to have lunch with him. “I grew up in this small town about twenty miles from here. Called Dousten, maybe you’ve heard of it?” he looked at her, to see what she thought. She was thinking.

“I think I have.”

“Well, I lived there with my mom and sister.” he said. And he went on about how boring he thought it was, and how he missed it more than anything. The entire time, he watcher her face and eyes, to see if she was hiding something. Her eyes never once betrayed her. He had learned how to tell what was going through someone’s mind by doing what he did for a living, not much of a living, but he had learned some things. All he saw in “D’s” eyes was thoughtfulness, exactly what you get when you are talking to anyone. He also saw that they were a dark emerald shade with tiny flecks of golden brown near the pupil. He found he was getting lost in those eyes when she had to “wake him up” after he had gone silent.

“Are you okay?” she asked with a half smile. “You got really quiet there for a minute.”

The waitress arrived with the food and Taylor was grateful for the interruption and opportunity to compose himself. “What am I doing?” he asked himself. He suspected her of lying to his face, knowingly, and now he was getting a childish crush on her. He must be going crazy. He looked back at her, and said, “What were we talking about?”

“You mean before you suddenly became quiet and just stared off into space?”

“Uh, I guess.” She laughed at him, and looked down at the plate of food that sat before her.

“Are you sure you’re going to pay for me to eat? You don’t have too.”

“I know I don’t have too, but what am I going to do with it? I can only hold do much.” he joked.

“Okay. But after I eat this I have to go. I will repay you some day.”

“You already have,” he said in a near whisper. He looked up at her to see if she had heard, but she hadn’t, she had, instead, begun eating. He turned to his own plate, and began to eat. After a few minutes, he said, “Told you it was good.”

“You were right. It is.” she said, but she thought, “Especially if you haven’t eaten for days.” But she wouldn’t say it.

She thought for a minute after having ate half of the food that was on the plate, and she decided that she would get a container for the rest of it. It would be a change to have something to eat before she settled in for the night, not that she would be settled for long. “Excuse me, miss?” she said, motioning the waitress over to the table.

“Something wrong?” Taylor asked her.

“No, I just thought I would get a to-go container for the rest of my food, and my drink. Why waste such a great meal?” she said, thinking that it was a good excuse.

“Oh, cool, I’m finished with mine. I guess I eat fast.” He knew that she was about to leave.

The waitress walked over and D told her what she wanted. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

As she waited D made sure she had everything in her pouch, then started to feel uncomfortable. She knew that Mathews was staring at her, and she didn’t know why, and she wanted him to stop. She waited anxiously for the waitress to return.

“Here you go, and here is the check. Have a nice day,” the waitress said, and walked over to another booth.

D stored the food in the container and then looked at Mathews. “Well, thank you very much for the meal, it was very kind of you. I really need to be going,” she said, quickly glancing out the window. She hastily stood up, putting her pouch on her shoulder she slid out of the booth.

Taylor quickly glanced at the bill, pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and pulled out the appropriate bills, and run after her. “Wait!” he called after her. She stopped but didn’t turn around to look at him. “Will I see you again?”

She glanced over her shoulder and said, “Probably not.” and she started to walk on.

“What are you running from?” he called, not thinking before he said it.

Stopping abruptly she turned and looked at him, a pained expression on her face. “Life, just life in general, my life, my future. My,” she paused, “Destiny.” she turned and walked away.

“Wait, I will see you again, you promised to pay me back, a promise is a promise.” he called out, mostly to himself, people in a rush to get back to work after lunch were walking quickly in other directions, staring at him. “Boy am I an idiot.” he said to himself.

Nicole had told Mr. White that she would do what he had asked, but first she needed to be alone, so she could relax, and concentrate on having to use her ability for the first time in years. It was true, she was a little out of practice, and not being able to use her power properly would result in an ultimate waste of time. But that was sort of what she was doing now.

It had been an hour since she told Mr. White to leave her to herself. He was probably assuming that she wasn’t going to do it. Pressing the button on the small speaker, she said, “Susan, call Jackson and tell him that I said to call the main members and tell them that we are about to make some key progress. Tell him to let them know that they need to be patient, and we will let them know anything we discover.”

“Yes ma’am. Anything else?”

“Yes, send in Mr. White. I am likely going to be busy for a while, I am not taking any calls, what-so-ever. Especially if it is my mother.”

“Yes ma’am, I’ll get right on it.”

Moments later Mr. White walked in and said, “I thought you had died and passed on without telling me.”

“Non sense, I would never do that. Jackson could ruin this mess if his life depended on it.”

“Very funny, but also very true. That young man needs his priorities straightened out. Are you ready?”

“I sure hope so, if I’m not, I lied to the most supernaturally powerful people on earth. No, wait, I haven’t met her yet.”

“You seem nervous, just calm down.”

“How’d you guess?”

“You ramble when you are nervous.”

“Oh, I never noticed. Here what I want you to draw the vision from.” she handed him the copied off news article.

“Hmm, all I should have to do is read it. Okay, lets sit down over here.”

“Why?”

“I know this will weaken me, so that means if it does the same to you, I won’t be able to hold you up, i.e. the sofa.” They sat down and he thought a minute. “Better yet, call someone from medical. Incase something goes wrong.”

“something could go wrong?” she asked walking to her phone.

“I could pass out and not wake up, you, you’re young, you’ll be fine.” She rolled her eyes as she dialed the number. Minutes later there were two nurses standing just outside the open door, waiting.

“Now, I will read the paper, holding it in this hand,” he said, holding up the hand that already contained the newspaper article. “You absorb through this hand,” he held up the appropriate hand, and she nodded.

“I have done this before, just not in a while.”

“Okay, great, lets do it.” he said, smiling.

She held his left hand in hers as he read the paper. Merely seconds passed before the vision shocked her central nervous system.

Flames, screaming, the smell of smoke. Voices, barely audible, saying, “Come on, we have to get out.” “No,” came another. “You two go now. Take her.” “Come with us now or you won’t make it out alive!” The first voice said. “I have to get my wife, I can’t leave her. She’s my life, my heart. Go!” the second voice screamed. More smoke, fire, screams. Cries of agony.

When Nicole finally opened her eyes, she felt as if she had been hit in the side of the head with a baseball bat. She looked over at where Mr. White was supposed to be but instead found him lying in the floor. He was awake, and conscious, but she could tell he too was in pain.

“Get in here,” she called to the nurses, “he needs medical attention!”

“Oh no I don’t. I need aspirin. Lots and lots of aspirin.” he said, raising up. “Tell me how you interpret the vision.”

There were five people in the house when it caught fire. Two didn’t make it. Two we know did. But the third, a baby, a very young baby. The man, the father, he made sure it got out alive. But he knew him and his wife wouldn’t. They tried, but they didn’t make it.” she lowered her head as she remembered the cries of agony she heard. The she looked up. “Either there was no birth certificate, or it was destroyed in the fire. And the day she celebrates is the day that she came into the lives of her adoptive parents, the James’. If we can find out where they now live, we can find her.”

“You got all of that from the one vision?”

“No, I just used deductive reasoning.” she got off the sofa and walked out the door to Susan’s desk. “Susan, I will give you a three month paid vacation starting next week if you leave here no, go straight to the public library and go to the Microfilm room and talk to the woman at the desk, tell her that you are doing something for Nicole Daie, and she will show you what to do. You are looking for information on where a couple by the name of James’ moved to after their house burned down.”

“Yes ma’am.” Susan put her coat on and grabbed her purse.

“Oh, and Susan? If you can’t find the information, you still get the vacation. You were needing it anyway.”

“Thank you.”

When Susan was gone, Nicole used her phone to call the library and let them know that the secretary was coming. When she was off the phone with the librarian, she called Jackson, and said, “Call them back and tell them we are just about to find her location. I will let them know when I do.” then she hung up the phone. “Now,” she said, turning to Mr. White, “All we have to do is wait.”

D had pretended not to hear the last comment that Mathews made. She didn’t want to thing that she would see him again. If she did, it wouldn’t be to pay him back, it would be in a premonition that he was going to die by something that was out to get her, and knew that she had gotten even remotely close to him.

“What was I thinking?” she asked herself. She promised herself the day she left home that she wasn’t going to put anyone else in danger. Stranger or not. She thought of how many times her family members had come close to death. She remembered each moment as she placed the envelope in the mail.

Once a week she sends a letter to her baby sister in the mail. She told her in the first letter, one she slid under the door of her sister’s room, to tell her parents that the mysterious envelopes that she got in the mail, with just her address on them were letters from a friend of hers that had moved to the city. They had bought it for six years, simply because of a “spell” that she said every time she dropped the letter into the box.

She doesn’t ever get one back, because she doesn’t have a mail box for them to be sent to. She has lived on the streets since she left home, but she is doing fine. The money she gets now comes from odd jobs she does for people she sees. They seem drawn to her, like the other “things” she meets. But they only come out at night, and only to try to hurt her.

She thought many times about finding a job, where she would get steady pay, and afford the postage and stationary supplies she needs for the letters, and maybe food too.

Since she ran from the diner, she thought about “Mathews”, and whether or not they would come for him. The more she thought about him, the more she thought about the comment he made, and how he waited to see her recognition of Dousten. Yes, of course she had heard of it before, it was where she grew up. But how did he know that?

She decided that she needed to forget it, she did so by noticing what time it must be and realizing that she needed to find a place to settle, which was something she rarely got to do. She knew that as soon as she was settled, and she got comfortable, she would have to get back up again to defend herself. So she turned down and alley way not far from where the diner was.

She sat down in the shadow of a large dumpster and unpacked her blanket and journals. Covering up her legs and pulling them close to her, she opened a journal up on her legs. Her eyes fell upon the first article that she wrote in the journal. It had been written when she still lived at home. It told of the day she got the journal, and that her mother had gotten it for her. From the happiness, the entry trailed off to mention someone following her and her mother while at the department store where the journal had been purchased.

She stopped reading and remembered for herself that just after the entry was finished, she had a premonition, something she hadn’t yet told her parents about, and she immediately left her room by way of the window to find who was being harmed by the person that had been following them.

That night had ended in her having defeated the evil that attacked the very person she had seen at the store with her mother. That wasn’t the first time and certainly not the last time that the evil had prayed on someone she cared about. She wished that it would stop. She wished she knew why they came after her in the first place.

She sighed heavily and flipped to the last entry, one she wrote the night before. Deciding not to read it, she turned to the next clean page, and readied her pen. Suddenly she got a queasy feeling in her stomach, and she knew it was a waste of time to have opened the journal. What she saw when she closed her eyes was expected.

She was standing in the alley. Facing the street, watching people walk by. She heard some shuffling of feet behind her, and she turned to see four men, behind her. Upon close inspection, they weren’t men, as in human, but she recognized them as being something else entirely. And there were staring at her.

She opened her eyes and took in a deep breath, as she always did when she had a premonition. She should have known that tonight wouldn’t be much different than any other night. At least they weren’t going to attack anyone she cared about. She stood up, laying her blanket back down on her pouch and laid her journal on top that. She looked around, seeing where they had been in her premonition, and noticed where they would come from. She walked over to a dark and hidden space in the back of the alley and waited.

Moments later, through a small space where to buildings didn’t quiet meet, she watched as the four men came through the space. The all looked remotely alike. Big, burly, red scaly skin, large claw-like hands. “All the more to tear me apart,” she thought.

“I thought you said she would be here?” growled the third man to exit the space.

“I did, she is, she will be here. Just wait. Patience is a virtue,” said the first one.

“I don’t have virtue. If she doesn’t show up I’ll kill you instead.”

They all began looking around and at the one who led them there. They noticed the pile of human items, her journal, blanket and pouch, one reached for it. “You don’t touch my things,” she thought. Then she stood up. Before they noticed her, and touched her things, she said, “Why, if I’m not mistaken, I have visitors. Hello!”

“That’s her!” Growled the first one.

“Who, me?” she said, surprised. “Now what would you want with little old me?” she asked, walking securely closer to them. “I don’t think I’ve defeated any of your kind. But I have been at this for, see, a little over ten years. Since the day I turned sixteen.”

“Yes as a matter of fact, you have killed one of our own. We are here for revenge. Now, enough with the talking. You will be silent forever more!” growled the leader of the pack. With the battle cry, the other three stood beside him. But it was she who walked up first.

The leader stepped forward and quickly reached for her throat, just missing her as she ducked under his reach. “Guess I’ll just have to fight back.” she said, then, with a slight motion of her hands sent him hurtling backward, knocking his buddies over. She stood there and watched as they scrambled to get up. It was one of the others who came after her next.

He was running for her when she used the same motion to fling him into the side of the dumpster, pushing it nearly onto the sidewalk outside of the alley. Her assailant was knocked unconscious. The other two heeded the command of their leader and headed for her, running with arms outstretched. She made a motion of clapping her hands together and the two goons slammed together and were both knocked out.

The only unconscious one, the leader, was angered by this, and let out another growl. “I hope you didn’t expect me to just stand her and let you kill me, because if you did, you are crazy.” she said, laughing. “I have been at this for ten years,” she said, now angry herself. She continued, “As bad as I hate this life of mine, I am not going to be killed.” she said, using her power to force him against the wall. Unseen forces held him by the throat, feet dangling over the ground. She heard the other three waking up, and she waited for them to notice what she was doing to their leader. Just as they began to run over to her position, she looked at them, flicked the wrist of her free hand at each one of them and they immediately exploded. “And I am going to fight until there are no one evil comes after me.” she said, looking at the evil being she captured.

“Then you shall fight forever, or until someone finally defeats you.” he said.

“Then forever it will be.” she said, and killed him the same as the others.

She walked back over to her belongings, and opened up her journal. She picked up her pen and began to write.

Dear Journal,

It’s me again, just after another battle. I’m getting tired of these things. But for once, something one of them said has gotten to me. He said I will be fighting forever, or until something kills me. I said it would be forever, and I think it will. Or at least until I get too old to fight. Then they will kill me. I fight because I don’t want to die. But I can’t live forever. And I don’t want to die.

I miss home. I miss mom, dad, my brothers, and my sister, especially her. Rachael is the only one who knows I am alive. I just hope they are all okay. For once. I hope what I have done, by leaving them and all, was the right thing to do. If it was pointless, and something has happened, it will be the end of me. Nothing will be left for me if something has happened. I have lived my life with the hope that I will be able to go home again, someday, and see them. All I have now is hope.

I made a mistake today. I promised myself that the only people I was ever going to get close to was my family. But it was the most meaningful conversation that I have had in a long time. And it really wasn’t about anything. He was nice to me. For the first time in a while, someone was nice to me, someone who wasn’t getting chores done for cheap. And he paid for me to eat. I think he realized that I didn’t have the money. Or at least the money to spare. I will repay him soon.

I got the odd feeling, though, that he knew who I was. It might have just been me, but if I went to high school with him, which I doubt, then I wouldn’t really know him anyway, because in high school, all I worried about was getting my grades to stay passable, and making sure nothing attacked an entire school full of innocents.

But still, it was odd. And he was acting funny around me at the last little bit. I hope I didn’t make too big a mistake. I hope they don’t sense that I got close to him, or he will be in danger. But I would know if they had, because I see it before it happens.

I wish I could check on my family.

This is my messed up life.

Gracie D.

She closed her journal and placed it back in her pouch. Picking up the other journal, she opened it up to the next free page. It was her book of spells, or at least that is what she called the little poems she wrote that she needed to protect herself, her family, and defeat them. Tonight she thought about writing a cloaking spell, to protect her from being “detected” by the things that came for her in the night. She didn’t know where to start. She wrote the first thing she thought of.

When it was written, she put her journal back into her pouch, along with her pen. She looked at the Styrofoam container that held the leftovers from her lunch, and she pulled it out. She finished the meal, not having realized she was hungry, and threw the empty container into the dumpster. She closed her pouch, and rested her eyes.

Taylor Mathews laid on his small bed in the dark, hands behind his head, and stared into the dark. He realized that the only way he could find out D’s real name, that is, if he went to high school with her, is if he went back home, to get his high school year book. He knew all of his things were still there, because his mother never got rid of anything. That is what he relied on when he mentally made plans to go home tomorrow. It was merely a few hours drive in the car that still really belonged to the troll.

That was another matter that he would have to take care of soon. Or he will not only be out of a good paying job, but a life too. The troll will certainly have him killed if and when he learns that Taylor has gone missing, and he will probably assume that the missing Taylor will be going to the police about what the troll has done.

Then, thinking about the troll got him to thinking about D. What if the troll would come after her. He wouldn’t be able to protect her from being kidnapped and eventually murdered. If he only knew where to find her. The he could worry less. He also realized that if he knew where she would be, he would be there, that very moment.

He got off the bed, and started picking out the items that he would have to take tomorrow when he went back home. He still had the key to the house where he used to live, and he knew that he would have to count on his mother not having the locks changed. In the years before his graduation from high school, there had been a number of mysterious deaths and injuries of and acquired by many of the citizens of the small Dousten community. He wondered if it had stopped.

When he had everything figured out, he packed it all in one bag, and sat it by his front door. Then he went back into his bedroom, and set his clock to go off at five-thirty am, so he could get an early head start. Then, he kicked his shoes off and crawled into bed. “Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep tonight, I need it.” he said to himself, and he closed his eyes.

He awoke the next morning to the blaring sound of his alarm. It took him a minute to realize where the sound was coming from, and he rolled over to smack at the clock. In doing so he fell off of his bed and onto the floor. With a moan he said, “I really need to get a bigger bed.” He got up off the floor and stumbled off to go change.

When he exited the bathroom, he grabbed his keys off the table beside his bed, went to the living room to get his bags from beside the door, opened the door, and left. He hoped it wasn’t a bad idea to leave, because if the troll did have mysterious abilities, then he might be able to track him to his mother’s house, and that might actually be putting her in danger. He hoped that God hadn’t decided that he wasn’t worthy and he prayed that the troll couldn’t find his mother.

Nicole Daie was always up with the sun. Mostly because she rarely slept. But the day before had drained her of all energy, and she had slept the whole night through. But this morning was a special one. The day before, she had called in all the people who were protecting the two girls they had found, and told them to bring them in as soon as they could. She had already had a plan for today, and she was going to be starting early.

Her secretary had been able to find information on where the James’ had moved to merely a month after the fire. So Susan was now home packing for her trip to the Bahaman’s, a trip paid for by the company. Nicole had already briefed Mr. White and Jackson on what they would be doing on this special day. The other Keepers had been told of the latest breakthrough and were ready and waiting to be called when they brought the third person in.

So they were off to a small town known as Dousten, and they were going to be leaving before seven o’clock. Nicole was exiting the elevator on the first floor when she saw Mr. White running from the stairs.

“Why don’t you use the elevator?” she asked.

He was panting, out of breath, and he held up a finger for her to wait, then after a minute, he said, “I told you, I am claustrophobic. I can’t stand small spaces.”

“The stairway isn’t that big.” she said.

“Does no one ever look up any more? Unlike an elevator, you can stand on the first floor and see the ceiling on the top floor. That’s what makes it big.”

“Oh. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, of course I am. This is what my life has come to. Chasing after a young woman who is destined to save the world. You have no reason to worry about me. It is nearly seven and your assistant has yet to arrive.”

“I know. He told me he might be a little late.”

“Young people. Have no sense of time.”

“You better watch it, I am the person that employs you.”

“Oh all right. But it was your decision to include him, not mine.”

“Here he is.” she said, then she turned to the woman at the reception desk and said, “Mr. White, Jackson, and I will be out for most of this morning. Let anyone who calls know. If it is a dire emergency, give them my cell phone number. Otherwise take a message. Thank you.” and she led them to the car. And then they were off.

Merely two hours later and Taylor Mathews was almost home. He never thought he would be coming home again. He hoped that his mom still remembered who he was, or at least knows that she knew him. He was driving along, listening to the news on the radio, when he first saw the mysterious black SUV. There were three people in it, adults, and the driver was a female. For some reason its appearance made him odd. He couldn’t decide if it was unease, or relief. But he couldn’t help but notice that they were going the same direction as he was.

In spite of his usual behavior he let them pass. There were a lot of people on the road who drove black SUVs, and he usually didn’t get funny feelings around them. He drove a family sized black car, with overly tinted windows, and he used to be in an illegal line of work. Why would any other black vehicle, no matter who the passengers, make him suspicious? He had no idea, so he just drove on.

Minutes later he passed the Dousten city limits sign, and he couldn’t believe that he was so close to the place where he grew up. He had been away for nearly five years, and he had changed in the process. If his mom did remember she had a son, would she recognize him? He had one reason for coming, and it was to get his yearbook. Although he wouldn’t admit it out loud, on the inside, he also missed his mother, and he worried about her, and what she would remember of him, if anything. When he had left, she had begged him not to go, he had told her that he would come back to visit, but in nearly five years, all he sent her was one letter, and that was two years ago.

Thirty minutes after seeing the sign, he was parked across the street from the sign that said, “Pineview.” and the slogan was “Welcome home.” Taylor sighed, put his car in drive, and turned down the road that led to his street.

But what Taylor didn’t notice as he pulled into his old driveway was the black SUV that was parked just up the street, in front of a two story white Victorian with pale blue shutters.

He sat in his car a moment, sighed, then climbed out of the vehicle, trying to decide if he wanted to knock, or just go in. He climbed the steps and walked to the door, ringing the doorbell. He forgot about that. Before he could figure out what he was going to say, the door was opened by an older woman of about fifty. It wasn’t his mother.

“Why hello,” greeted the woman before him.

“Uh, hi. Uh,” he managed to get out, wondering if his mother still lived there. How could he have not seen this before.

“Have I met you before, you seen oddly familiar?” asked the nice woman.

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, you must be Helen’s son! She has your pictures up all over the place. She misses you, you know.”

“Your right, Taylor Mathews,” he said, offering his hand. “Who might you be, he said politely. Thankful that his mother was still alive.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she shook his hand, I am Eugenia Barr, your mother’s live in nurse, oh come in, come in!” she opened the door more, and let him enter. “You must come see your mother, I know you haven’t been here in a while, but your mother is doing a lot better since her doctor gave her that new medicine. She is more mobile too. She led him into the living room where she sat, her back to him, bent over the table.

“Helen, look whose come to visit you.” the nurse said, walking up to her. When he saw her, joy filled his heart. He really had missed her, and he was happy to see her. She really hadn’t changed much. He could just barely see was the gray at her temples, but the rest of her blonde hair hadn’t changed, and the lines at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead hadn’t been there five years ago, but those were the only obvious changes.

And as he watched her facial expression changed, the lines faded and she was the same youthful beautiful person that she had been when he left. The smile on her face brought tears to his eyes as she walked over to him.

“My baby boy has come home.” she said and cried as she hugged him. She tightened her hug as if affirming his existence. “I missed you so much. Where have you been?” she asked. She pulled back, still holding his shoulders. “My baby is a man. He’s so tall! Eugenia look at him, isn’t he so handsome! Those blue eyes, just like his father’s. Oh, I’m so happy,” she proclaimed, hugging him again.”

“Me too mom, me too.” he said, squeezing back.

Just down the street, the black SUV sat, passengers still within. Nicole Daie was on her cell phone, talking with the people in charge of bringing the other two girls to the Guardian Headquarters. “Just take them too the board room, give them something to eat and drink, you know, to keep them busy, and calm. No, don’t tell them what they are there for, leave that to me. Miss Fates is complaining that she’s going to call her father? Whose her father? Emerson Fates! The Emerson Fates? Yes I have heard of Emerson Fates, supposedly the most powerful man in the city. But I hate to tell her, that I am trying to find the most powerful person in the world, a 25 year old girl who is more powerful and in a different way than her father– no don’t really tell her that– tell her to just be patient, and ask her if there is anything you can get her, besides her father, and get it what ever it maybe. Goodbye.” she said without hanging up.

“May I ask-” Jackson asked, but was cut off by Nicole.

“No. I know which one we are going to have trouble with, and Miss Amelia Fates is going to have an attitude adjustment before I am done with her. Lets go.”

They all got out of the car and, with Nicole in the lead, walked up to the steps, onto the porch, and up to the door, of the quaint Victorian with pale blue shutters. Ringing the door bell, Nicole took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and released it. When the door opened, she had a pleasant smile on her face, which masked the stress that was inside of her. Upon seeing the twelve year old girl, she was reminded of her own sister, and her mood lightened.

“Hi,” Nicole began, smiling, “My name’s Nicole Daie are Mr. And Mrs. James here?”

“Yeah,” the girl said, “Please come in.” she finished, opening the door. As he passed her Mr. White couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

“Something about that girl, loneliness, no, unhappiness, no, longing. Yes, she misses something, and wants it back.” this he said only to himself, but he looked at Nicole, and she knew what he was thinking.

“Wait here and I’ll go get them.” the little girl said and turned and walked down the hallway.

“Ms. Daie, I’m having an odd feeling that our third isn’t here.” Mr. White whispered.

“Me too, but they might know where she is.” she whispered back.

“Or one of them,” Mr. White said quietly back, bringing a “Shush” from Jackson.

Meanwhile, from a safe distance, behind a tree, a lost soul who finally found her way home was holding back tears at the site of the place where she once belonged. A home that she missed, but could never return.

Moments after Jackson shushed Nicole and Mr. White, the girl led her parents into the foyer where the guests stood. “Hello, Mr. And Mrs. James, my name is Nicole Daie.” she said, shaking their hands. “These are my associates, Jonathan White, and Daniel Jackson.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Stephen James, and this is my wife Eliza.”

Nicole said, “We need to speak with you privately.”

Mrs. James seemed nervous to Nicole, but Eliza said to her husband, “We can go to the den, would you like anything to drink?”

Nicole looked at her companions, the said, “Just some water please, thank you.”

Stephen James led the company to the den while his wife went to the kitchen to get the water. When she returned, Nicole had no idea what to say.

Before she could say anything, though, Eliza spoke first. “This is about Grace, isn’t it? She’s hurt, or oh no!” she began sobbing into her hands.

“I’m sorry,” after holding his wife. “She still gets upset about our daughter. It’s okay sweetie.” he tried to calm his wife once again.

“Actually, we’re here to talk to you about the fire, twenty-four years ago.” Eliza looked up, looking at her husband. Nicole continued. “I know something about that fire, that no one else knows, except you.” she said looking at both people.

“I’m sorry miss, but we don’t know what your talking about.” Stephen said defensively. He stood up. “I think you need to go.”

“Stephen.” Eliza spoke, looking at her husband. “I think its time to tell someone. We never told Grace, and now she isn’t here to tell.”

“But, you were the one that said no one should know. You told me not to tell that reporter. It was an emotional point in our lives, and you said not to tell. Why tell now?”

“Because. There is something that you don’t know Stephen. Something about what happened that night, I would have told you, but Beth made me promise. We never told her why she was so different.”

“Eliza, not in front of them.” he said, stressing the word “them”.

“No. Beth told me I’d know when, I just thought she meant when to tell Grace. But now I know who it is I must tell.”

She stepped out from behind the tree she had been sitting under when she was rummaging through her pouch. She had pulled out the journal that was her spell book, and she turned it to the page that she had written the night before. Then she slung the bag over her shoulder in her normal fashion, and she memorized the spell in her head. After she put the book back and closed her bag, she said aloud what she had written:

Make the light

for which they seek

Invisible to their sight

So they can’t find

Where I might be.

Then, on a sudden spur, she added two more lines:

Do this at least until

I’ve seen my family.

She took a deep breath, and walked quietly to her house. “Oh heaven, please let it have worked,” she said to herself.

“What do you have to tell us?” Nicole asked, getting anxious.

Eliza looked at her, and said, “I’ll tell you as I tell Stephan. But first, you know that Grace isn’t our daughter. That’s what you know about the fire, that no one else, save my husband and I, but what you don’t know is why I told him not to tell the reporters, and the officials about Grace. The reason, is because Beth, her birthmother came to me in need of help. The night that they were at our house was not for a gathering. I hadn’t spoken to Beth in over a year. She called me late one night, a month before the fire. She told me that she was going to have a child, and she needed some help.”

Stephen and I both knew Beth and her husband William most of our lives, but I knew Beth long before I met Stephen. I knew things about Beth that neither her William or Stephen knew. So she knew that it was only I that could help her. She knew, somehow that her child would have the same abilities that she did. She knew that those abilities would prevent her child from having a normal life. What she needed from me was obviously something I couldn’t give her.”

The night she called me, she told me that she wanted me to take and raise her child. I refused. I asked why she would want me to do such a thing. She said that if someone else were the parents to the child, maybe she wouldn’t develop these abilities. I refused once more and she reluctantly accepted. We talked longer, but there was tension between us. I told her that when the baby is born, she and her William should come have dinner with Stephen and I she agreed and we hung up.”

We spoke on the phone every day since then, and she still asked if I would take and raise the baby. I refused and she said okay, but I knew she was upset. I knew she loved and wanted the baby, because the one thing she always wanted out of life was children. I knew it would break her heart if she had to give up the baby.”

Sometime in the week before the fire the baby was born. I don’t know what day, but I know right around the time, because she called me and told me, but she didn’t get a chance to tell me the day, because told me of the premonition that she had the first time she held the baby girl in her arms. In it, she was holding the baby when the house, my house, caught on fire. William herself and the baby all died in the premonition, and Stephan and I barely made it out alive. I told her that the dinner was canceled, and she said, no, that it wasn’t what was meant to be changed. I told her I didn’t understand. She said that the premonition told her that if the three of them didn’t at the house, the three of them would die somewhere else, the same time, the same day. She said that what was meant to be changed is what happens before the fire, and that will affect what happens after the fire starts.”

The night of the fire, she and William arrived at the time that I had indicated, the baby in tow, and for the first few minutes everything went well. It was Beth who first pulled me aside. She told everyone that the baby needed changing, so she told me to come with her to the bathroom where she would change her. Instead of changing the very calm and easy going baby, she made me promise something. These are her words exactly, “Eliza, you have to promise me that if I don’t make it out alive, you will take the baby and raise her as your own.” I was shaking my head no, I had tears in my eyes. “What about William,” I said. “Just promise me. It is important to me that you do.” I asked her, “Do you know something I don’t?” and she said, “I think so. Please, promise me.” “I promise,” I said. I did want to. I prayed she would make it out, even before the fire started, she was like a sister to me.”

Then she said, “When you do, don’t tell anyone. There was no baby in the house, there was no baby at all. William and I didn’t have a child. Understand?” “Why are you saying this?” “If no one knows of a baby then he can’t hurt her.” she said, mostly under her breath. After that she hugged me and told me she loved me she thanked me for promising. Before she made me leave the bathroom, she told that she was going to name the baby Grace Destiny and she told me I would know when to tell about this, and she gave me a small piece of paper. Then she made me leave the bathroom, and to take the baby. I did, and I heard her whispering after I closed the door. The baby, just looked at me with her big green eyes.”

Then only five minutes later the fire started and quickly got out of control. William, who was holding the baby, gave her to Stephen, told us to get out, and he had to save Beth. We got out safely, but the fire increased and the entire house was engulfed. We kept Grace a secret until the need for people to want to hear our story died down, we moved here, and we got her birth certificate made and all her information needed. We just told everyone who asked that we adopted her from a woman who couldn’t keep her, and we kept the truth a secret.”

Finally, after being enthralled in the woman’s story, knowing it was all true, Nicole spoke, “Mrs. James, it is vitally important that we know where your daughter is now.”

“Why, what business do you have with her?” Stephen said.

“Stephen, calm down.”

“Sir, you won’t believe me when I tell you, but I think you have a right to know. Your daughter is part of something my associates and I call “Trinity”. No civilian knows about it. She is the biggest part of Trinity and she will help save the world.”

Taylor had sat and talked with his mother and her nurse for a long while. Up until it was time for her nap, and he could tell she needed the rest. Even at just forty-six she had become tired and was easily weakened. She he helped her to her room and sat with her until she drifted off to sleep. And now he was watching her sleep. He stood up, kissed her on the forehead, and left the room.

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wouldn’t be staying, but he knew that when he knew he didn’t have to worry about the troll harming her, he would come back home to stay. Now he couldn’t think about that he had one thing he had to do, and he went to his room to do it.

Everything was exactly the way he had left it, she told him so, and now he saw for himself. He found the yearbook easily, and he flipped right to the senior pictures. In the process of turning the pages slowly and carefully he saw his own picture, and realized his looks hadn’t changed much, except that he looked older, a lot older than what he really was. He laughed slightly and turned a few more pages. Then he seen her.

Grace Destiny Logan. “That’s were she got the D.” he said to himself. “She’s not smiling. The same “I’ve got the weight of the world on my shoulders” look. Why didn’t I notice her in high school, she’s beautiful,” he said as he looked into the green eyes he studied the day before. He turned to the section of the book that gave information on the seniors, and he found her parent’s names. “Her parent’s last name is different. Maybe her mom go remarried. I could find them in the phone book.” he told himself, but decided against it.

He decided he would take the yearbook with him. Giving the picture one last glance, he closed it and left the room, turning the light back off as he went. When he was downstairs, Eugenia, who was tidying the room where he and his mother had been, said to him, “Your not staying?”

“Oh, I want to, I really do. I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted to, but I have some business to take care of, and then I will come back and stay. Tell her I’ll call her later. Make sure she knows that I mean to, and I will. Tell her I love her. You don’t think I’m a loser do you?”

“Oh no. You made her day just coming to see her. Just keep your promise and come back to her. She needs you.”

“I will, I need her too. Thanks.” and he went out the door.

“Oh my!” Eliza James said, covering her mouth.

“You’re right Ms. Daie. I don’t believe you.”

“Grace said that what she could do was a curse. She said that because of her powers, the evil creatures follow her to try to kill her. They tried to hurt us to get to her. That’s why she left. Ms. Daie we don’t know where she is, we don’t even know if she is alive. Those things, they are powerful and dangerous.”

Nicole knew what things she was talking about. “Those things are demons, they are after her because she can stop what is coming, and they don’t want that. We need to find her.”

“We don’t know where she is.” Eliza said, teary eyed, “we haven’t spoken to her ice the day before she left.”

“I think I know someone who has.” Mr. White said, standing up and walking to the doorway, were the twelve year old sat, just out of site of the occupants of the room. He kneeled down to her and said, “Have you heard from your sister?” he asked.

Quiet as a mouse she nodded, then ran to her room. Moments later she arrived two shoe boxes which she placed in the hands of Nicole. To her she said, “Find my sister. Maker her come home. I miss her so much!” she said, and ran into her mother’s arms.

Nicole opened the top box, and pulled out a hand full of envelopes. “It’s letters. She looked at them closer. They are all postmarked Parker City.”

“Rachael, you’ve been writing her letters? And you didn’t tell us?”

“No, she’s been writing me letters, I couldn’t tell, she told me not to. She said she didn’t want anyone to hurt anymore.”

“How often do you get letters from her?” Nicole asked.

“Once a week. The same day every week. I should get one, tomorrow.”

“I thought those were from a friend that moved to the city?” Eliza asked.

“That’s what she told me to say. She said she made it so you wouldn’t ask.” Rachael admitted.

Nicole handed an envelope to Mr. White. He looked at Rachael and asked, “Do you mind if I take the letter out?” when she shook her head no, he pulled out the letter and touched the ink. There was total silence in the room when he blacked out.

Grace was surprised that she could make up a spell on the spur of the moment and make it work. She had made up a spell to grant her invisibility and it worked.

I wish to see them

Without them seeing me

Let me look at them

Without being seen.

She was grateful for the ability to see without being seen, because if her sister had seen her she would certainly have a hard time getting away again. And when she saw her sister, at twelve years old, she was brought nearly to tears. But she was shocked into see the strangers in her parents den. Her tears subsided as she watched a woman hand one of the letters she wrote to a man. She wanted to jump in through the window, and pull the letter away.

But as she watched the man pulled the letter out of the envelope, and ran his fingers over the writing. “What was he doing?” she asked herself. She just looked on as she the man collapsed against the sofa where he sat.

She looked around at everyone in the room. Her mother, father, sister, the woman, the man now collapsed on the sofa, and another man. “What did they all what with her letters?” she nearly said aloud. Then she thought, “It can’t be them they only come out at night. Oh God please don’t let it be them. Oh please don’t let it be them. I have to go, maybe they will follow me away.” and she took off away from the house. She knew deep down before she left the city that morning that it was a bad idea, and now she scolded herself for not listening to her gut instinct, like she usually did.

*****

As Taylor was getting into his car when he noticed the black SUV parked in front of the house down the street. He looked at the house and then he got into his car. He sat looking at the vehicle, and back at the house until he saw people coming out of the front door, and standing on the porch of the house. Five adults and one girl. The three in the SUV and, he assumed, the owners of the home.

They all shook hands, and older man bent down to address the girl, and he shook her hand. Then the occupants of the SUV crossed the street in a hurry to rush to their vehicle. The woman, in the process of getting to the car, was dialing her cell phone.

He watched them, as they climbed in the car, and pulled out, he decided he was going to follow them. He started his car and pulled out of the driveway. When he passed the house, he saw the mailbox. “The James’.” he read aloud. Somehow he knew that they were looking for Grace Destiny Logan.

He followed about three car lengths behind the mysterious vehicle. He thought of the girl he still thought of as D, correcting himself every time he thought it. He smiled remembering her, and hoped he would find her again.

Grace was well on her way to Parker City, maybe even farther. She hoped that the three people that were after her were going the same direction, somehow following her by way of magic, she was happy to lead them away from Dousten. She herself would never be returning, spell or no spell.

One of her many mysterious abilities, she “blinked” from one position to another, getting around faster than anyone else. She didn’t need to worry about being seen, because she was under the cover of the trees that lines the hills that were on the out skirts of Dousten. She was just outside the city limits of Parker City, and she started walking to get back into downtown. She was tired and hungry, but she couldn’t stop for rest because she knew she had to get far away from where she used to live, and she needed to do it now.

An hour away, was Nicole Daie. Before she got into the car, after exiting the James’ house, she had called and alerted the Keepers that they knew who the third girl was, and where she was located. She just knew they would be able to track her down. But it wasn’t until now that she had doubts that she would be able to find her.

“What do you mean she might not be in Parker City when we get there?” Nicole shouted at Mr. White. This was the first time she had ever been upset at him.

“Just what I told you. The vision I had told me of many things. The first thing I saw was us. Everyone that was in the den, but it was as if I were some one else watching us. I saw me lying on the sofa, in my trance, and I saw the little girl, Rachael. When I saw her, though, I began to get teary eyed. Like the person who was watching her was sad because of her. Then I get the feeling that I had to get away, to protect them. I had to get far away farther than before.”

“So, she, Grace, was watching us, she got sad when she saw Rachael, because she missed her. She didn’t know who we were, she thought that we were after her family to get to her. So she thought she would lead us away. She had to get to Parker City, and fast, but she couldn’t stop there. She had to get completely away from Dousten so we wouldn’t come after her family.”

“Now that’s just totally illogical. She would be getting away from her family, but they wouldn’t come after her, they would come after her family to get her to come back to this crappy place, so they could get her. Use her family as bait. That’s what someone truly evil would do.” Jackson piped up, mostly talking to himself.

Mr. White turned around to look at him oddly, and Nicole did the same by looking in the rearview mirror. She rolled her eyes at him, then went to adjust the mirror so she could see out the back window. Just as she touched the mirror, Mr. White touched her arm to get her attention, but he was hit by a vision instead, sending the causing Nicole to feel the effects too.

They were pulled over on the side of the road. A black car parked just behind them, there was a man, early twenties, standing in front of the three of them, who where standing beside the SUV. Then there was a word. No one said it. But they were all thinking it. The word

Nicole was shaking, she slammed on the breaks, causing the car behind them to nearly crash into them. She put the car in park, said, “We’re being followed.” and got out of the car in a hurry. Walking quickly to the car parked behind them, she pecked on the driver’s side window. When the driver rolled the window down, she said, “Pull your car over behind me.” the she walked back to her vehicle, pulled off to the side of the road. Before she got back out, she looked at Mr. White and said, “Please, don’t touch me again.”

“Yes ma’am.” he said politely, and followed her lead when she got out of the car.

When the other driver pulled up behind her, she directed him where to stand.

“I didn’t hit you. I wasn’t that close–”

“Why were you following us?”

“I was just going back home, to Parker City. I–”

“Yes, I know, somehow, I know, but syou had ample time to pass us. But that wasn’t what you were doing. You were following us. Who are you?”

Before he could say anything, Mr. White interrupted. Prophetically, he said, “He knows her. He’s going to help us. And help Trinity.”

“What a what?” the driver said, stupefied.

“What are you talking about?”

“In the vision. You didn’t stay for the whole movie, but I waited till the end to leave. He knows Grace. He wants to find her. But he will help us do more than find her. Something else I was going to say before the vision. You need to keep anyone from leaving the city, Parker City I mean. At least anyone fitting her description.”

“What’s your name?” Nicole asked the driver of the car.

“Uh, Mathews. Taylor Mathews.” he stuttered.

“Young Mr. Mathews,” Mr. White began, “You are going to help save the world.”

“Wait a minute,” Taylor said, still in shock from the old man knowing that he knew Grace, and that he wanted to find Grace. But the man’s last comment struck a nerve, a very important nerve, that few people, save himself, ever even bothered with. “You.” he said slowly, pointing a shaky finger at the man before him. “You. I… but… how?” he barely managed to force out. “You.” he repeated once again.

“Indeed.” Mr. White said, making a slight bow.

“Okay, Mr. White, I will talk to you later.” Nicole said, then turning to the still dumbfounded Taylor, she said, “Get in the car, you are coming with us.” she said, then turned to Jackson, throwing her cell phone at him.

“What about my car, can I take it?” Taylor asked.

Looking at Jackson she said, “Call HQ, tell them they need to come pick up this car. Tell them to park it in the garage. But first, call the President, tell him to get the FBI and who ever he can to Parker City. We need to keep people from leaving the city that may fit the description of our girl.” then she turned back to Taylor. “What does she look like?” when he didn’t answer, she said, “If you don’t tell us I will have you killed.”

“She has long red hair green eyes, about five nine, about 115-130 lbs, clothes are a little dirty, she carries around a messenger bag, book bag, its khaki colored, kind of dirty. She looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, afraid to be around people. Told me her name was D.”

“Thank you very much. Get in the car, be quiet.” she said, and walked around to the driver’s side of the SUV.

Taylor looked at Mr. White, and asked, “Can she do that?”

“What, have you killed?” when Taylor nodded, he said, “Yes, but she wouldn’t, well, right now, I couldn’t be sure. It was vitally important that you tell her what Miss Logan looked like.” he said, the interrupted him before he asked the question he knew Taylor was going to ask. “I will talk about it later.”

They all piled into the car, Jackson still on the phone. Before they were back to the city, Taylor saw another black SUV, the same brand and model going the opposite direction, and figured it was someone from where ever these guys were from, going to get his car. He was pondering the questions he would ask “Mr. White” when they finally pulled up to one of the biggest buildings in the city.

Grace was in the same alley she left that morning. She finally let herself stop and rest, and she figured this place was as good as any to do it. She sat in the shadow of the dumpster and laid her head back against the wall. Closing her eyes and catching her breath, she remembered her sister, and how big she’d gotten. She hated that she had to miss seeing Rachael grow up, but knew that it was the only way to save her.

She stood up to leave, and was unexpectedly knocked back down by an unseen force. She knew what it was. It hadn’t happened in years, but she hadn’t forgotten the experience. The last time it happened she woke up feeling completely different. Now, she laid on her back, eyes closed tight, and waited for the event to be over. But what she couldn’t see were the tiny blue balls of light that surrounded her, hovering about her for a moment, then one by one entered her body.

When she knew it was over she stood herself back up. She felt lighter, cooler. On her skin was still a tingly sensation, but it wasn’t unpleasant. “What can I do now?” she asked herself. She exited the alley, and headed where ever her feet would take her, telling herself, that she would put some space between her and the city before she would stop again.

Taylor Mathews stared up at the building and wondered how many floors there were. “Mr. Mathews?” Nicole scolded. “come on.” he followed her and her associates into the building. Nicole stopped at the front desk and told the receptionist that they had returned.

“Ma’am, I know you are the boss and everything, but I was told not to allow someone to enter unless they show me a pass. He doesn’t have one.” she stated nervously.

“That is excellent of you to point out, and you are right. He’s with us. You should have a temporary one at your desk, correct?”

“Oh, yes ma’am.” she said, and pulled one from an unseen drawer. Then she said, “Sir, please sign here.”

He walked up to the desk, and signed the paper. The receptionist wrote his name on the pass and handed it to him. “Thank you.” she said, then answered the ringing phone.

“Mr. Mathews, clip that to your shirt and don’t remove it while you are in this building.” she said, then turned to Jackson who was now off the phone. “Remind me to give her a raise later.” and she walked on.

“She’s pretty generous for someone who threatened to have me killed.” he said, mostly to himself as he clipped the pass on to his shirt pocket.

Just as they stepped into the large elevator, Nicole’s cell phone, which Jackson still carried, rang. He answered it. After a quiet moment, he handed it to Nicole. “It’s the FBI. They need to speak to you.”

“Yes?” she said when the phone was too her ear. “When you get her, call us, and we will send someone out to identify her. If it is her, we will bring her in.” there was a pause, and then she said, “if she does put up a fight, subdue her, just try not to hurt her. Make sure you put agents every where a person can go. It would also be helpful to have a helicopter to see where people can’t go. Oh and having some sort of in fared detector could be helpful also.” there was another short pause, and she said, “That is classified. Call the minute you see anyone fitting the description we gave you.” she flipped the phone closed.

“So, when do I find out what this place is?” Taylor asked, just as the elevator doors opened to another reception area. He looked out at what lay before him and said, “What’s with all the desks?”

“Security purposes,” Nicole said, exiting the elevator, and heading towards her office. First Jackson then Mr. White followed her, then Taylor followed them. The receptionist looked at their passes, then glanced back down at the book she was reading.

When they arrived at the door to Nicole’s office, Taylor noticed that the desk meant for a secretary, that sat in front of the office was empty. “Wow,” he said to himself, “its probably the only one that’s empty too.”

Nicole unlocked the office and they all entered. She sat behind her desk, and motioned Taylor to sit down in the chair that sat in front of it. “What association do you have with Grace Logan?” she asked, but he was interrupted when the phone rang. She quickly answered it. “Yes?” after a moment, she sighed, and hung up the phone. “Jackson, go to the board room and keep the young ladies in there company. Miss Fates doesn’t seem to want to be here. I’ll be watching them on the monitors. Thank you.” he nodded at her command and got up to leave. As he went out, he bumped into Mr. White, who was standing near the door. The old man instantly collapsed.

Nicole shoot up out of her chair and raced over to him. Taylor followed her. Neither of them saw that it was Jackson who caused his state.

Grace had been walking in the woods on the edge of the city, looking at the trees, and wondering what forest creatures they might contain. Being in the dense forest so close to dark didn’t frighten her. She had seen too many things in her 24 years of life to be afraid of a dark forest. In fact, she found that the deeper into the trees she got, the more she felt as if she were someone else. Someone who lived near the woods, who traveled the frequently and enjoyed the solitude, someone who didn’t have to worry about her family being attacked by evil beings, or whether or not she would wake up the next morning.

She decided that she was far enough out of the city to take a break and she sat down to enjoy the sites and sounds of the forest, when she heard something that she felt wasn’t normally part of the forest.

A voice, a man’s voice, was coming from the direction that she had been walking towards. Glancing up at the sky, she told herself, “It can’t be them, its not dark enough yet. It could be just hunters. But it could be the people that I saw at my house.” she got up, and started to transport herself behind trees, closer and closer to where the voice was coming from. Then, after blinking behind one tree, she heard something move behind her. She turned around, then, hearing a rattling sound, she looked down. Just as she looked down, the snake lunged at her, piercing through her pants, and into the skin of her right calf. Calling out in pain, she used her telekinesis to send the rattler flying through the air, crashing into a tree twelve feet away.

She tore away the material of her pants, and inspected her wound. She tore a piece of material from the cuff of her pants to tie it around her leg, just above the wound, but before she could, she watched as what she assumed was venom, along with blood, seeped out of her leg. Then, the torn and bruised skin of the wound healed itself. “So that’s what that was.” she thought. “I can heal myself.”

She stood up and dusted the dirt and leaves off of her. But then she turned around and was looking right at the man whose voice she heard, and who was wearing a windbreaker jacket with “FBI” written in yellow letters on it. “I think you need to come with me.” he said, looking down at her.

~~~~~

When Jonathan White woke up, he knew three things. One: his head was killing him, and he was afraid to get up. Two: Taylor Mathews had something important to tell them. And three: someone working within the Guardians, was going to sabotage them.

“Mr. White, are you okay?” Nicole said, concern in her eyes.

“What happened?” Taylor asked.

“I’m fine,” he began, raising up. But he plopped back down, and said, “ish. There are more important things than my health, but help me up.” Taylor and Nicole pulled him up slowly, and helped him to the couch, sitting down beside him. “So, young Mr. Mathews, what line of work are you into?” he asked.

“What? Uh, currently unemployed.” he said, slowly.

“Okay, who did you work for? And don’t lie, there are other ways for me to find out.”

“Uh, well, a very bad man.”

“Just give it up, tell us everything.” Mr. White said.

“Okay, fine.” he took a deep breath. “The Troll, or at least that is what the public calls him. But I quit, sort of. I rescued a woman that he had kidnapped and he told me to kill. I got her out, let her go, told her to get out of town, but don’t tell anyone that it happened, because I plan on bringing him down myself.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t do that. He is more powerful than anyone. Just one man can’t bring him down. That’s what Trinity is for.” Mr. White said to anyone who was listening.

“What are you saying?” Nicole asked.

“This “The Troll” is really the unknown.”

“I think it’s about time you tell me where I am, and why I am here.”

“Fine. But when I do, you tell us how you know Grace Logan.”

Grace had a funny feeling about what was happening. The funny feeling began, when the big guy in the FBI jacket grabbed her by the arm, and she got a premonition. In the premonition, she was standing in front of the biggest enemy she has ever fought, but he wasn’t that tall. She had never seen him before, and the only thing non human about him was the weird look in his eyes. She knew he was evil.

But it wasn’t the guy who grabbed her arm that was evil. Nor was it the other people that escorted her to a treeless space in the middle of the forest. They all seemed perfectly nice, just doing their jobs, and she assumed that the instinct that she now had about people was just one of the new powers she had.

She was now sitting off on a log that had fallen long before she got there, and was waiting patiently for what ever they were waiting for. Every few minutes one of the agents glanced at her as if she were going to run off. She knew that’s what they were thinking. She waved every time someone looked at her. There were too other agents standing beside her, to keep her from leaving. She could take off in a spit second and be farther than they could run, but she didn’t feel the need to run.

When someone looked at her again, she, irritated, finally said, “I’m not going anywhere. Besides, if I did feel the need to go, which I don’t, I would be gone, in the blink of an eye.” she said, making the last part sound ironic. “I just want to know why you’ve got me here,” she said, looking at the guy who grabbed her.

“I’m sorry miss, but that’s classified.” the guy said.

“I have a feeling you know, but you just don’t want to tell me, incase I’m not the one you were sent to apprehend. Besides, I have heard some things about FBI people, you say that a lot, right?” she knew by what she sensed that he said that a lot.

He laughed at the remark, and said, “It’s possible.”

“I could probably save someone a lot of time by telling you that I am pretty sure I am the one that you are looking for.”

“Now, how would you know that?”

“It’s who I am. Or what, rather.” she said, looking down at her feet. “Can I have my pouch back. There isn’t anything in it to hurt someone, or myself. I just feel weird without it. As if I’m not weird anyway.”

“I don’t think so,” the man that grabbed her said.

“Hey,” she said, offering her hand. “My name’s Grace Logan, what’s your name?”

“Uh, oh,” he said, shaking her hand. “Bob Roberts.” he said, then the name registered. “Wait a minute.” he left her side and walked over to his boss. “Sir. I can be certain this is the person they were looking for. She knows things that I don’t say. And I think her name is the one they told us.”

Grace watched as FBI agent Bob Roberts walked over to where she was sitting. “Grace Logan,” she said, standing up, and offering her hand. But before the new guy could say anything, she said, “Oh no.” quietly.

“Excuse me?” asked the new guy.

“Something bad is about to hap-” she managed to get out, when something feel from the sky. It was two of “them”. Bob Roberts instinctively pulled his gun, only to watch as one dark figure with glowing eyes sent a fire ball in his direction.

Deflecting the fire ball away, Grace said, “Not fire balls, I hate fire balls!” she sent the creature flying as the second tossed another fireball in her direction. She sent it back at him, causing him to burst into flames. He was flailing around when she saw another fire ball coming her way, doing the same to it. Both creatures were defeated.

She ran over to the now flaming tree, and used her powers to put it out with water from a near by stream. When that was done, she walked over to Bob Roberts, and asked, “Are you okay Bob?”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” he said, and looked at his boss. “I told you so.”

*****

Just as Nicole Daie and Mr. White had finished telling Taylor Mathews about the guardians, the keepers, the Book, and the unknown. The phone rang. Nicole rushed to answer it.

“Yes?” she paused to listen. “How do you know its her?” another pause. “Oh, how did she, never mind, I have a pretty good idea. Bring her in as soon as possible.” another pause. “She says she can get here quicker than you can drive-” then, “Well, send her here. When you get here, send her to the white room.” and she hung up the phone. She turned to Mr. White and Taylor. “Well, she knew that she was the one they were looking for. And she also proved it by defeating two Fire Thrower Demons. She also put out a tree. They said she seems ready to come, anxious almost. She is going to transport herself. She should be here any minute in fact.”

“Well, should we go greet her?” Mr. White asked. Taylor just stood there, nervous.

“Uh, you and I will. I’ll call Jackson and have him put Mr. Mathews some where he can’t distract anyone.” she said reaching for the phone once more.

“Hey, wait a minute. How am I going to distract anyone?” he asked, he just wanted to see Grace.

“I have a feeling you will.” she said then dialed the number to Jackson’s cell phone. “Jackson. My office now. We have her. She is in the building. I need you to put Mr. Mathews somewhere not within a ten foot radius of the white room.” she hung up the phone and she and Mr. White left him in the office. A few minutes later Jackson arrived, and said, “Let’s go.”

“I have a distinct feeling that you don’t like me.” Taylor said to Jackson.

“You just might be right. But it is now time for you to be quiet. I have work to do.” Jackson said, anxious to get out of the building.

“Ms. Daie, I think I need to talk to you before we go in.” Mr. White said, nervous.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I think you need to make sure no one gets in or out of the building.”

“Why?”

“Because in all the excitement I made a huge mistake and forgot the reason why I had the vision.”

“And what’s that?”

“Someone working within the building is out to sabotage is and what we are doing.”

“Who?”

“I have a feeling that Jackson is the culprit. And he has a part, a small part, of what is going to save us. He also has knowledge of where all three main parts of Trinity are. Now, I could be wrong about Jackson, but he was the one who touched me when I had the vision.”

Nicole said nothing, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed security. “No one is to leave or enter this building.” “Don’t ask questions, just lock all the doors.” she hung up the phone.

Nicole opened the door to the white room, where Grace was sitting. “Miss Logan?”

“Yes?”

“You know you are here for a reason. Don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. But why were you at my house?”

“We needed to find you desperately, and your parents were the only link we had to you.”

“Oh.”

“They miss you. Very much.”

“I had to leave. To protect them.”

“I understand, but if you don’t help us, you leaving will have been useless.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“You know you are very powerful, don’t you?”

“You would say that, but for the sake of conversation, I’ll say yes.”

Nicole smiled at this. “By the way,” she said, “My name is Nicole Daie. This,” she said, pointing to the man beside her, “Is Mr. White.”

“Grace Logan, but you already knew that, right?”

“Of course. Will you help us Grace?”

“One condition.”

Taylor lay half in, half out of consciousness, in the back of his car. His car that was moving. “If I didn’t have a throbbing head ach, I would raise up in surprise.” he said to himself. Then he heard a voice. It was Jackson.

“Yes, I would like to speak with the man they call the troll.” he said into his cell phone.

“Why is he wanting to talk to the troll?” Taylor asked himself. He glanced out of the darkened window of the car. He knew the street they were on. Jackson was going to take him to the troll. He was going to turn on the Guardians and help the troll.

“Because I have some information that he might want. And someone he has been looking for.”

“So the troll has been looking for him,” Taylor thought. “I am so happy.” he watched the back of Jackson’s head.

“Finally.” there was a moment of pause. “Hello, sir. I have a bargain for you. I have four people you may be happy to have in custody. They are the ones who are said to defeat you, and one of your men, who planned on telling the authorities about you.”

“How did he know that?” he asked himself.

“I will give you your man, then tell you the location of the other three, if you give me what I want. I want to be your right hand man. I want to help you. And I can. I have the power, and I know those out to destroy you.” there was a pause. “Yes I know where to find you.” and the troll hung up on him. He closed the cell phone, then laughed.

After a few minutes of silence, Jackson began talking to himself. “Oh that stupid guard. Let me out just as he was locking the door. He won’t have a job tomorrow. In fact, the Guardians might not even exist tomorrow.” just as Jackson began to laugh again, Taylor raised up from the back seat, and put Jackson in a head lock.

“Not if I can help it,” he whispered in Jackson’s ear. “Pull over. Now!” he yelled.

Jackson pulled the car over, and put it in park.

“Turn off the car and give me the keys.” when Jackson hesitated, Taylor constrict his breathing further. “Now!”

Jackson removed the keys and handed them Taylor.

“I hate to have to do this to you, but” he held him tighter, until Jackson passed out from lack of oxygen. Taylor got out of the car, opened the front driver’s side door, and checked Jackson’s pulse. “Your still alive. You’ll be fine, but only because I don’t believe in murder.” he grabbed the cell phone, and walked off. He flipped open the phone, and called 911.

“Yes, I would like to report an accident. Well, the victim, he’s sort of dangerous. He knocked me unconscious but when I woke up, I was in the back of the car, and he was driving. So I sort of cut off his oxygen so I could escape. I know he was going to hurt someone. Cause I heard him talking. He’s on Thomas street in a black four door car. He is unconscious. Please hurry.” he said, then hung up. He searched the address book, and found Nicole Daie’s number. He dialed it.

“What?” Nicole asked, surprised.

“I told you, on one condition. I know that this is a matter of life and death, but that is what my condition concerns.”

“What is the condition?”

“Its not that hard. I need a phone, and twenty four hour guard around my family.”

“What?”

“I have already got a couple FBI agents lined up for the job. We kind of got to know each other. I sort of saved their lives and they are grateful, I have to say, this is the first positive attention I have had in a while.” she said, but thought of Mathews.

“I understand your concern but–”

“If you understand you would grant me what I ask. I am happy to help you, but I want insurance that my family will be fine.”

“Fine. We will get the names of the guards later, but what do you need a phone for?”

“I want to call my mom and dad.”

“Oh, well, here.” Nicole said, then pulled out her cell phone, that instantly began ringing. “Hold on.” she looked at the screen. It was Jackson. She opened the phone, and said, “This better be important.”

“Oh, it is.” Taylor said.

“What? How did you get Jackson’s phone, where are you, I hear cars?”

“I am walking back to the building where you are. Jackson is a two-faced, low life–”

“What are you talking about?”

“He knocked me on the head, dragged me out of the building just as the doors were being locked by the guard, who I might add you shouldn’t fire. He was offering up trinity and me to the unknown.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah. I knocked him out, and got away. I called an ambulance. I don’t like him, but I don’t believe in murder either. I told them that he was dangerous.”

“I’ll send someone for you immediately. Good work.” she hung up the phone and handed it to Grace. “Here you are. Excuse us, I have to talk to Mr. White.” and they stepped out.

When they left the room, Grace flipped open the phone, then dialed her parents’ phone number. The phone rang a few times, and Rachael answered.

“Hello?” Rachael said into her side of the phone. After a few minutes of silence on the other end, she repeated the word. After another few minutes, she whispered, “Grace?”

On her side of the line, Grace was fighting back the tears that came to her eyes the minute she heard her sister’s voice. Finally, when Rachael had said Grace’s name a second time, Grace replied. “Yeah.” she said simply.

On the other end, Grace heard a gasp, and a crack, and the phone hi the floor of her parents’ kitchen. She let the tears flow as in the background she heard her sister call for her parents. When she finally picked the phone back up, Rachael was crying too.

“Where are you? Where have you been? Are you okay? When are you coming home? I’ve missed you so much!” Rachael drilled Grace for answers.

“Just calm down. I’ll answer all your questions soon, I need to talk to mom right now. Okay?”

“Yeah. Here she is.”

“Thanks. And Rae? I love you.”

“I love you too.” tears were in both of their eyes when their mom took the phone.

“Grace!” she said, and began asking much of the questions that Rachael had asked.

“Mom, calm down. There is something I have to tell you. First off, there are going to be some people watching over the house. Good people. They are there to protect you. Don’t worry about it if you see someone watching the house, or following you. Also, make sure you don’t go into Parker City, or, for that matter, any big city near Dousten. Don’t go out at night either. Keep the doors and windows locked. Don’t let anyone in at night who you don’t know. Be careful, what ever you do. Got all that?”

“Yes, but why are you telling me all this? When are you coming home?”

“I can’t make any promises. But if I do, it will be when I know it’s safe. I don’t know when that might be.”

“Oh, we miss you so much. There were some people here earlier today. They said that they needed you to help save the world.”

“Yeah, I know, I’ve talked to them. I’ve got to go. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay. I’ll call you soon. I love you all very much.”

“We love you too. Be careful Gracie D.”

“I will.” she hung up the phone and smiled, tears running down her cheeks.

Outside the door, Nicole was talking with Mr. White. “We need to train the girls before we go looking for the Unknown. We haven’t even told the other two who they are.”

“Maybe we can get help from Miss Logan, in that aspect.” Mr. White suggested.

“How? What do you mean?” Nicole asked.

“Well, they all should be drawn to her, through her powers. They are supposed to unite through a common enemy.”

“Well, I have a feeling that Miss Fates will be upset that she isn’t the most powerful one.”

“What gives you that idea?”

“Well, I was in high school with a girl who thought that she should have been the smartest one, the most popular, the most everything. Let’s just say that I know what the rich ones are like.”

“Well, we need to have someone pick up Mr. Mathews, I have a little explaining to do to him.”

They both went into the room where Grace was sitting quietly, using her powers to make the tiny cell phone spin in the air. Nicole grabbed it out of the air smiling, and dialed the number to Jackson’s phone.

“Where are you?” she said into the small speaker.

“I’m on the corner of twenty-third and Avenue.” Taylor replied.

“Good, someone will be there momentarily.” she said, and hung up. Then she dialed the number for the first intern she thought of, and told them to go pick up Taylor. “Now, Miss Logan. We have two people you should meet.”

“Who are they?”

“Well, the word Trinity, in a nut shell means group of three, it often represents the Father, the son, and the Holly Spirit. We sort of felt it would do perfectly for the name of the group of three who will save the world. You are one half of Trinity. The other fifty percent lies in a room upstairs. Two other young women just your age.”

“Okay, cool, let’s go.”

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Yeah, I think it’s a new power I got today. Usually I’m pretty gloomy. I have a feeling it will go away in a while. You know, with all the fighting. Oh, and you may need to get this place protected before someone attacks. I usually get attacked at night.”

“It’s already protected, we base our life on magic. When the doors are locked, the whole building is locked, there is a force field around the building, protecting it. It is one of the safest places on the planet.”

“That’ll do.” Grace said, and smiled.

They were walking to the elevator when Nicole remembered the paper that Grace’s mother gave her earlier. It was the same paper that was given Eliza by Beth, Grace’s biological mother. Nicole pulled out the paper, that had been in her pocket, and unfolded it once. It said, “To My Daughter” on the side that was revealed. Nicole handed the paper to Grace, saying, “Your mother gave this to me when we were at your house.”

“This isn’t her handwriting.” she said, when she read the words that Nicole had.

“It was given to Eliza by your biological mother.”

“Oh.” Grace opened the paper up the rest of the way, and read it.

September 19, 1979

Dear Daughter,

If what I saw was correct, you don’t know me. And yet you are a part of me. You are the best part of me, and your father. We wanted you long before you were born. When we got married, I was told that I wouldn’t be able to conceive. I knew why, but your father didn’t. But I still wanted a child.

Fortunately, if what I saw was right, then you are living happily with the best person in the world to live with. She was my best friend all of my life, and she was very protective of me and what I was.

And although I couldn’t raise you myself, I very likely gave you the worst part of me. If I did, then your life is destined to be hard. I hope that things are better for you than they were for me. With my legacy you are to be cursed by always being in fear of your life, and the lives of the ones you loved.

But my reason for giving you away, at first, was to save you from this. I didn’t want you to have the abilities that I had. But if this letter has found you then my abilities, are now yours. And evil will be at your door forever more.

I wish I had something better to give you than what I have. I am happy that you did get a good home where you can live happily and safely. I love you and I will always be with you.

Be safe.

Your mother,

Beth Logan.

Grace was crying and smiling when the elevator doors opened. “So that’s where my powers came from.” she said sarcastically. She looked at Nicole.

“We’re here.” Nicole said, and stepped out of the elevator to lead Grace and Mr. White to the receptionist. Before she could get to the reception desk, her phone rang. Answering it, she said, “Yes?”

“He’s here.” the intern said on the other end of the line.

“Good. Take him to the white room.” she hung up the phone and turned to Mr. White. “Go get him, keep him busy and away from us.” she said, referring the Taylor. Then she turned to Grace. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good. I sort of just met my biological mom. It’s kind of relieving to know that she didn’t want to get rid of me.”

“I know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was adopted. But my biological parents weren’t married. I was born to a woman who was married to a man she didn’t love. The man she didn’t love was the one who killed her and my biological father.”

“Wow. So were a like in that sense.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling. “You need to sign this paper and get a badge. I train my employees to automatically check for the pass before they let someone in.”

“I kind of got in without one.”

“Yeah, but you’re special.”

“I never thought of myself that way. I always figured I was a loser.” she signed the paper, and got the pass the receptionist held. They walked on to the board room.

In the board room, sat two young women. One was reading a book she had in her over size purse. She had her legs bent up in the chair. She was wearing colorful scrubs, she was a nurse. She had been called out of work, she had been taking the blood pressure of a five year old. She had been sitting there a while and she had given up on figuring out why hey had brought her there.

The other woman, had tried to use her cell phone to call her father, but couldn’t seem to get a signal. Usually her phone always had a signal, even in buildings. She thought of calling the phone company that provided her service. She was going to complain. Maybe even publicly. The nice man that came in earlier had asked her to put it away, and she tried to flirt with him, but he didn’t take it. He soon left when he got a call on his cell phone.

They sat there waiting, and wondered why they were there. They had tried the door, but they couldn’t get it open, and there were no windows in the room. They were getting a little impatient, when one of the doors finally opened.

“I apologize for the wait ladies.” Nicole said, when she entered the room, Grace walking behind her.

“Why were the doors locked?” Amelia Fates asked rudely.

“I’m sorry about that, security purposes I assure you.” Nicole lied, but she thought, “I just didn’t want you to get out.”

“I bet.” Amelia said, walking toward the door.

“I’m sorry, Miss Fates is it, but there is something important I need to discuss with yourself and Miss Williams. Please sit down.” When Amelia angrily took her seat, so did Grace.

“This better be important.” Amelia said to Nicole.

“I hate to be rude, but I really need to go home and get some sleep. I have to be at work at seven in the morning.” Lucy informed Nicole quietly.

“Well, how about I get to the point. My name is Nicole Daie. I run this operation, called The Guardians. We are a group started by myself and with the help of the United States Government. Our purpose is to track very powerful beings, and protect the world from evil. There are some of us, called the Keepers. We take care of business that involves those powerful beings, and the evil that we have to fight.”

“You must be insane.” Amelia laughed.

“Excuse me?”

“This is crazy. It sounds like something from a television show, let me guess. You have magical powers, and you fight evil that attacks and threatens your normal life. Oh no wait. We are the chosen ones, destined to battle the evil that threatens to destroy the earth.”

“Precisely.” Nicole said, looking at her, matter-of-fact.

“What?” Amelia and Lucy both asked in surprise.

“Grace, would you show them what you can do?”

“Sure.” Grace said, then looked around the room. Seeing a fake plant, she pointed at it, then, using her powers, she made it lift and spin in the air, turning it into a blurry image. When the leaves began to pop off, Grace slowed it down, and sat it back on its spot on the floor.

When she was through, the two women just stared at Grace. “Anything to say now?”

“That just proves that she’s a freak.” Amelia said, looking at Grace, who stood up in anger, ready to blow her up. Someone she saved when she was still living in Dousten had called her that. They didn’t remember now, because of a spell.

“Grace! Put the lethal weapon hands away.” Nicole scolded.

“I don’t like her already.”

“That doesn’t matter, you have to work with them.” Nicole said, then turned to Amelia. “If you think she’s a freak, then you might want to change your opinion of yourself miss high and mighty, because whether or not your father is the richest man in the city, you have powers too.”

“What? That’s absurd!”

“Really?” Nicole said, then she picked up a large paper weight from off the table. She threw it at her. Amelia threw up her hands, and it froze in mid air.

Without thinking about what she just did, she said, “How dare you throw that at–” her mouth made an “o” and she said, “What the?”

“Freak.” Grace said, then, said, “No, I’m sorry, that’s not nice. I’m not used to insulting anyone but myself and demons.”

“Now you believe us?” Nicole said, smiling at Grace’s comment.

Taylor walked into the building and saw Mr. White standing by the receptionist desk. “Can I trust you?”

“Yes, even though you still don’t understand me.” Mr. White said, smiling.

“Oh, about that–”

“I was young, then and I was having visions that prevented me from keeping a job and having a place to live. The visions led me to that particular town. They told me of a young man that was very important to the safety of the earth. I knew it was you, but didn’t expect to get food out of it. Thank you for that.”

“Uh, no problem.”

“Now we need to get you checked out. See if you are hurt or injured. Walk with me.” they walked to the stairs.

“Uh, what floor is the place were going on?”

“The fifth floor, why?”

“Why can’t we take the elevator?”

“I am claustrophobic.” Mr. White openly admitted.

“Okay. You’re helping to try to defeat an evil force bent on taking over the world and everything in it, you’ve lived on the streets, and you have visions that may be the cause of your death, and you can’t handle a small space?”

“Correct.”

“Weren’t you in the elevator earlier?”

“No, I took the stairs.”

“Well, I will take the elevator, and you can take the stairs.”

“No, I don’t trust you, you may go somewhere else.”

“Listen, I am really fine. I have a bump on my head, but I am fine, no dizziness. Nothing.”

“I am sorry, but you cannot go to her.”

“But I– how did you know?”

“I see a lot of things.”

“I just want to see her. I don’t have to interrupt anything. Please.”

“Fine, but don’t tell Miss Daie.”

“My lips are sealed. Can we take the elevator?”

“No.”

“Oh man.” Taylor said, sighing. Mr. White just laughed.

Grace followed Nicole, who lead them all to what Nicole called the “training room”, where Amelia and Lucy would be fully brought into their powers.

Finally they made their way to a set of huge solid oak double doors. Nicole heaved the doors open and said, “Welcome, ladies, to the training room.”

It was a gigantic room, filled with numerous types of computer equipment. All of it surrounded a large platform that had three chairs placed in the center of it.

“What? Are we giving speeches?” Amelia said sarcastically, noticeably trying to hide her shakiness, she was shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“No, Miss Fates, you are not. This is where you will come into your full powers. After you have gotten all the powers that time and lack of experience will allow, you will be trained in related things. After you.” Nicole said.

Amelia stepped into the room, and said, “What if I don’t want my powers? What if I don’t want to save the world?”

“Well, you can say goodbye to all of daddy’s money, and all the expensive clothes and shoes. You probably won’t even have a cell phone. Do you want that?” Nicole asked.

“No.” Amelia said under her breath, just as a child would.

“Then get used to it.” Nicole said, then, “Now, Lucy, Amelia, have a seat.”

Tyler was two floors below Mr. White, nearly out of oxygen. “What’s keeping you?” Mr. White called down from the fifth floor.

“Hey, I’m not used to climbing this many stairs, you are. Leave me alone.” he shouted, creating an echo. He was nearly crawling when he made it to Mr. White.

“Come on, your young. Its just down the hall.” Mr. White laughed.

“Give me a minute. I need some air.”

“You want to see her don’t you?”

“Yes, but I want to be alive when I see her, not haunting her from the grave.”

Mr. White just laughed, and Taylor rolled his eyes. After catching his breath, they both went onward, toward the training room.

When the girls were seated, Nicole walked over to a control panel on one of the devices. “Now, try to relax.” she said, sitting down.

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” Amelia said.

“Okay, I’ve had enough!” Lucy, who has been quiet since the board room, stood up. “I am not usually mean, and I don’t often get upset. I work with children, I’m not allowed to, I have to have patience. But I have had all I can stand. You are spoiled rotten and no one has ever tried to teach you anything. You aren’t better than anyone else, and you aren’t beyond anyone else. You have been born into something, and it is your fate to do this. You are no better than the rest of us.” she paused, then abruptly sat down. “Sorry Ms. Daie. I’m usually not this out spoken.”

Nicole, and Grace, where both still in awe, “That’s okay Lucy. You’ve got that off your mind, Amelia, is there anything you would like to say?” Nicole asked.

“Well, uh, whatever.” she mumbled.

“Now, relax.” Nicole said, then pushed a button on the console. The chairs that Amelia and Lucy sat in reclined. “Now, close your eyes and breathe deeply, and relax.” Nicole pushed another button, and a dull glow was emitted from a light in the ceiling above them. “This might tingle.” She flipped up a cover that was over a red button, saying to herself, “Here we go.” then she pushed the red button.

When Mr. White finally stopped walking, Taylor nearly bumped into him. “We can’t go in right now.” Mr. White said quietly.

“Why?”

“The other girls are getting their powers.” he replied, and pointed to a red light that hung from the ceiling.

“Well, if its their powers, then it won’t hurt me to be in there.” Taylor said, and moved to push open the doors.

“No, wait! A mortal cannot go in there while this is going on.”

“What about Ms. Daie?”

“She isn’t mortal, she has her own abilities. Only people who are in there either already have their powers, or they are about to receive them. If a mortal, who isn’t meant to have powers enters that room while this is going on, then they will take in some stray ability that doesn’t have a place among the people already in that room. The mortal’s body isn’t made to hold powers.”

“If I’m not meant to have them, they won’t choose me.” he said simply, shrugging. He shoved at he doors, opening them before Mr. White could stop him.

Within minutes the girls were blanketed in warm glowing light. They were still and motionless as the light became brighter. Grace starred at the light and the girls as if she was hypnotized. “Is this what happens when I get new powers?”

“No, it depends on the powers, and how you get them. Its ironic, it is rare when someone sees them, but if they truly see them, the power in its raw form is beautiful and they all are different.” Nicole explained, still watching the Lucy and Amelia intently.

Suddenly, there was a noise behind them. “Grace, watch the girls. If they wake up before I come back, tell them to remain still and keep their eyes closed.” Nicole instructed, then ran for the door. Grace was left standing in the training room watching the girls.

Nicole ran towards the door, her first thought was that someone came to prevent the completion of Trinity. But when she made it to the door, she saw, lying just inside the doorway, on the floor, was Taylor.

“What happened?!” she asked Mr. White.

“I tried to tell him not to go in. He wouldn’t listen. He was determined to see her.” Mr. White said, trying to wake Taylor in the process.

“Call medical personnel, get him up there ASAP. He might not make it.” she told him. Under her breath, she said, “Men, so stubborn.” then she turned back to Mr. White. “Make sure Grace doesn’t find out about this.”

When Nicole was back in the training room, she walked up to Grace, and tapped her on the shoulder. When Grace jumped, Nicole stepped back. “Are you okay?” she asked, a worried expression on her face.

“Oh, uh, yeah. For some reason I am mesmerized by this,” she said, gesturing toward the amazing array of light and color that surrounded the girls.

“Well, it is marvelous.” Nicole replied, turning to look at the girls.

“So, what was that all about,” Grace tilted her head in the direction of the doors.

“Oh, just one my employees. He gets stressed out sometimes, you know. There are some weird things going on in this building. Weird things are about to be going on every where else too.” Nicole said, only mostly lying.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Grace said, staring once again at the spectacular scene before her.

Taylor opened his eyes, he was laying on his back. His head hurt, as a matter of fact, his entire body felt as if it would fall apart if he moved. That’s why breathing was so difficult. He decided he was going to see Grace, no matter what had happened to him. He still didn’t know yet. When he attempted to raise up, he groaned in pain, and laid back down.

“How do you feel?” He heard Mr. White say, although, he couldn’t see him.

“Like I ran THROUGH a brick wall, or maybe like it ran through me. Where am I?” he said, closing his eyes.

“You are in the sick bay.” Mr. White responded.

“What floor is it on?”

“Why?”

“I was wondering if you took the stairs.”

“Very funny. You have been through a great deal, I am surprised you made it.”

“Made it where? Level two?” he joked. Mr. White cleared his throat. “Sorry, humor is my defense mechanism.”

“Now it seems you have at least one more.”

“What?”

“Remember what I told you might happen, if you went into the training room while the red light was on?”

“Yeah, so?”

“It happened. At least once.”

“Interesting.”

“In a few minutes you will be taken into another room to see exactly what’s inside of you, and see if we can extract it.”

“Is there any chance that its meant to be there?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is there any way to find out?”

“I don’t know, unless I have a vision.”

“You don’t need one right now, you have had enough.”

“If it comes it comes, that’s why I carry Tylenol in my pocket.”

“Now you make jokes, nice.” Taylor was nodding and smiling as much as he could.

“Okay ladies, now I am going to need you to remain still and relaxed, your eyes closed and you breathing regular.” Nicole said softly, checking the vital signs of both Lucy and Amelia. The machine and stopped and the lights had faded, first into a soft orange color, and then dissipated in shiny white. Grace was just snapping out of her trance.

Once Nicole had deemed their vitals normal, she allowed them to slowly raise up, eyes still closed. “Now, when you feel that your bodies can handle it, you can stand up, but keep your eyes closed.” After a few minutes, Lucy stood up, and Nicole guided her off the platform, and over to one of the consoles, so she could hold on. After Amelia and Lucy were standing unaided, Nicole spoke again.

“Now, I am going to take both of you, one at a time, into a small chamber. That is where we will determine what powers you now have.” she said, waiting for someone to say something. When no one said anything she said, “Who wants to go first?”

“I do.” Amelia volunteered.

Nicole guided Amelia into the chamber, and instructed her to remain still and keep her eyes closed. She closed the door, and walked over to a nearby console. She pushed some buttons, and the machine began to hum.

In the sick bay, Taylor was just beginning to stand up. He had suddenly began to feel much better, as if nothing had happened. He was determined to go back to the training room, to see Grace, and felt the opportunity was at hand, now that Mr. White had left.

It wasn’t until he was out of the bed that he realized he was in a hospital gown. “Why in the world?” he asked himself, and began to search for his clothes. He had just opened the right drawer in the nightstand, when Mr. White came in.

“What do you think you are doing?” Mr. White asked, nearly shouting.

“I’m getting up.” he said, matter-of-factly.

“But you are injured, and to much movement my force your body into shock. Lay back down.” Mr. White demanded.

“I feel perfectly fine, except for very breezy gown you people have got me in. I am no longer in pain, maybe I didn’t get any powers after all. I probably just walked into something.”

“No, you didn’t I saw them enter your body. It was just a glimpse, but I saw them. There is nothing like it.”

“Then maybe I am meant to have them. You can remove them later, I have to see Grace. That’s what I came here to do, and I am going to do it. You can’t stop me.” He said, grabbing his and heading for the door.

Mr. White grabbed his arm to stop him, but instead he was stopped by a blinding pain in his forehead. He fell to his knees, his hand still tightly grasping Taylor’s arm.

“Mr. White?” Taylor called, to no avail. The unconscious man had a death grip on his arm, cutting off the circulation. When Mr. White’s body began to convulse, Taylor pulled away, said, “I’m going to get help.” and ran toward the door, to the elevators.

Nicole was leading Lucy into the chamber, Amelia, sitting comfortably in a chair near one of the consoles, and Grace was looking out a nearby window, that was tented black, to prevent any one who wanted to inspect the goings on of the Guardians.

Grace was watching all of the people outside, just as the sun was coming up. From the height she was at, everyone walking along the sidewalks seemed to be the size of ants. She was tired, she hadn’t really slept in years. All the sleep she had ever gotten, was from dozing in between the attacks by demons. She needed some sleep before what was to come, but she wasn’t sure if she would get that.

Nicole had placed Lucy in the chamber, and the machine was now running, scanning her entire body. Looking for something that cannot be seen by the human eye. It took merely minutes to find the complete powers given to the girls by what ever controls their destiny. Nicole had told Grace that she was sure that Grace had already gotten all of her powers, but she wasn’t sure of what she really had.

When Lucy had come out of the chamber, she was led to a chair near Amelia, and she sat down quietly. “Why do we need to keep our eyes closed?” Lucy asked. Obviously tired of having to keep her eyes closed.

“Sometimes, when people go through the processes that you two have, the eyes, one of the main sources of anyone’s powers, can be affected, so it is vital that we let them have time to rest. But if you feel that you need to open them, I’ll put the blinds down and turn off the lights, so they aren’t over loaded.”

“Yes, please.” Lucy said, sighing.

Nicole nodded to Grace, who was still standing by the window, and she put the blind down and walked over to another window to do the same. Nicole pressed a button on a nearby console to turn off the lights. The only light left in the room was the soft colors coming from the many buttons on the consoles. “Okay. You can open them now.”

Grace watched as both Lucy and Amelia opened their eyes slowly. She was surprised when both of the girls’ eyes glowed for a moment after they opened. Nicole just smiled.

“What? What is it?” Amelia asked. Looking at both Grace and Nicole.

“Uh, your eyes were glowing.” Grace said, still surprised.

“Glowing, like, how?” Amelia asked.

“Have you seen an animal’s eyes, when a light has been shines in them, you know how they glow?” Nicole asked.

“Yeah.” Amelia said.

“Well, that’s also because of the processes you went through. Its just a sign that you have powers beyond that of a normal human being.” Nicole explained, looking at both Amelia.

“So, I’m abnormal?” Amelia asked, almost in disgust.

“But in a “so much better than normal way,” right Nicole?” Grace said.

“Yeah, but lets not worry about that.”

“So, what kind of new abilities do I have?” Lucy asked, she seemed almost anxious.

“Well, that’s just what I was about to get to–” Nicole was interrupted by a pounding sound at the doors to the room. “Just a moment.” she walked over to the door and cracked it looking out.

On the other side of the door, stood Taylor, out of breath, wearing a pair of pants under a hospital gown from the sick bay. “What are you doing out of bed?! You have no idea what you put your body through.”

“I don’t care. Mr. White is unconscious. I ran down the stairs to get here. I couldn’t find anyone else. He needs help.” Taylor shouted.

“Take me to him.” she said, pushing him ahead, closing the door behind her.

She followed him to the stairs, and they both ran up. When they finally made it to the floor where the sick bay was located, they opened the door to find Mr. White staggering on the other side.

“I thought you said he was unconscious?” she said, looking at Taylor.

“I was, oh I was. I had a vision.” Mr. White interrupted. Still staggering, having to hold himself up on the wall. “We need to see what’s inside of him.” he said, pointing at the oddly dressed Taylor.

“Me?” he said, pointing at himself stupidly.

When they finally made it back to the training room, Taylor and Nicole were supporting Mr. White. Taylor had gathered his clothes together, and was now dressed. Nicole ushered them both to the door, and Taylor stopped.

“You sure you want me to go in there?” he now asked, hesitant.

“You were awfully anxious before.” Nicole said, sarcastically.

“I uh, mean, you didn’t want me near Grace before, I uh, was just thinking…” he trailed off, embarrassed.

“Either you are nervous about seeing her again, or nervous about the process.” she said. “You have nothing to worry about when it comes to the machine, but you would have to work it all out when it comes to Grace. Oh, and I don’t want you to mention anything around her that might distract her from what we are going to do.” Nicole said, telling herself she was worried about the future of the world.

“Okay. I just won’t speak, or at least I’ll try not to. If I get near her I might say something I don’t want to.” he said, looking at the floor.

“Oh, don’t worry, you will be to busy to notice.” she lied.

Grace was looking out of the window when she had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was the same kind of feeling she got when she was in the middle of the forest, waiting, she felt, for something to happen. She knew it was her new power, but she didn’t know what she was waiting for, but she realized it when she heard the door open.

When she turned around the first person she saw was Nicole, and just by looking into her eyes she knew that Nicole had been keeping something from her all along. But it wasn’t until she saw the third person to come into the room, when she realized what she had been keeping from her.

Mathews had been in the building the entire time, Nicole knew it, and Mr. White knew it. It had been Mathews who had disturbed them before. But he had stepped into the room when he wasn’t supposed to. She knew that something had happened to him when he did it, because she could feel something different about him, something that she knew all to well. All of this she realized because of her power.

When Nicole and Taylor had Mr. White seated, Grace motioned Nicole to come to her. When they were both a safe distance from the rest of the group, Grace asked, “Why did you lie to me?”

“About what?” Nicole said, knowing that she knew exactly what Grace was talking about. After all, she was the most powerful being the world has ever seen.

“You know what I mean,” she said between clenched teeth. She glanced out of the side of the corner of her eye at Taylor, who was trying his best not to look at her.

“Yes, yes I do. I felt that it was vital that you keep your attention on the task at hand.” Nicole said.

“I have had my attention on the task at hand all of my life. From the time I was sixteen I knew that there was a reason for all this disaster and pain in my life. I felt it, and that was before I had the power to feel what people feel, before I could tell when something terrible was about to happen. I knew that I was fighting for more than my life. I just didn’t know that I was fighting for the lives of everyone else in the world. Even the ones who called me a freak, and looked at me in disgust. But I know what I am meant to do, and that won’t change. I know that I have one purpose in my life, and nothing will change that. Don’t lie to me again. You know I will know, the moment I look in your eyes.” she said, keeping her voice low the entire time.

“I understand. But you understand, too, that I know that this young man is more than an acquaintance to you. I had been keeping him away to prevent anything from distracting you or the other two girls. He is only in here for a reason. When he disturbed us earlier, he contracted some powers. We need to know what they were, why I don’t know, but we are about to find out.” she said, turning from Grace, and walking toward Mr. White. “What did you see in your vision. We need to know.”

“Its not what I saw that matters, its what it meant. It was obvious. He is going to help defeat the Unknown, with the powers that he has. We need to know what those are, so we can teach him how to use them.”

“Okay, Mr. Mathews. Follow me.” she said. She lead him to the chamber, and opened the door. “Get in, put your hands on the bars on each side of you, and remain still.” When he followed her directions, and was looking out of the glass tube at Grace, she closed the door, and walked to the console and pushed the appropriate buttons.

Within minutes the machine was humming and glowing with life and Grace was once again looking out of the window. Taylor had closed his eyes, the light the machine emitted was a bright, and he needed to relax. After a few minutes, the machine stopped and Nicole opened the door. Taylor climbed out and sat down, looking at his hands.

“So,” he said, still looking at his hands, “Am I Superman?” he said, it was meant to be funny, but he wasn’t really in a funny mood.

“Just about.” Nicole replied. Taylor looked up in shock, eyebrows raised.

“Huh?” he asked, looking at Nicole.

“Well, you are the first person I know of who was given the power of invincibly. Not as a side affect of another power, but as one single power.” she said, looking at him.

“Cool.” he said, then, “Is that it?”

“Nope, you alone posses the power of invisibility. Two offensive powers. They protect you, but you have nothing to fight back with. I don’t understand, if They meant for you to have powers to help with what the battle we are about to fight then why give you offensive powers.” she was asking herself. She didn’t expect an answer.

“There is something specific he has to do with them.” Grace said, surprising everyone. “I have defensive powers, I’m sure Amelia and Lucy have them, we’re suppose to fight. He has a specific job to do, that can only be done with those powers. What that deed maybe, I have no idea. We’ll just have to wait and find out.” The entire room was silent. When no one said anything, she said, “Ask my mom, I have a tendency to be the quiet type, but when I do say something, it usually is important.” she said, turning back to the window.

“I’m in love with you.” Taylor said. The moment the words popped out of his mouth, he looked back down at his hands, and hoped no one could see his red face.

Grace had turned around, and looked at him. Her mouth fell open in surprise. She gained her composure and said what she thought was right. “I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the same.” she knew it had to be ended right then, it didn’t need to go any farther.

He looked at her, the hurt visible on his face, although he tried to hide it by nodding and looking back down. Grace knew that he was hurt, when she said it. Even though she was no longer looking at him.

Nicole walked over to Taylor, and said, “Excuse us.” and pulled him out of the room, into the hallway.

“I told you I might be inclined to say something I didn’t want to say. And I said it, although at first I thought it would be a good thing, but it wasn’t. I never thought I would feel this way about someone who didn’t feel the same. Well, when I was six I had a crush on my teacher, but that doesn’t count. I’m rambling aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are. But its okay.” Nicole said, having no real words of wisdom for the moment. She wasn’t good at things like that.

“I, uh, I need to take a walk. To many things happening at once. Not good for a guys psychological well being, especially mine.” he took off in the direction of the stairs.

Nicole when back into the training room, and picked up a piece of paper. “We need to get back to the task.” she told the group. “Ladies, are you ready to know what powers you now have?” she asked.

Taylor was on the roof after climbing a few flights of stairs. He was surprised by the building’s height. Looking over the edge gave him a rush. He quickly stepped back. “Don’t want to fall, although it wouldn’t hurt.” he told himself, but the thought of falling so far made his stomach churn.

He didn’t want to think about what had just happened to him. For the first time in years he let his heart out for the world to see and the only person he cared about it seeing saw it as just another heart. He knew that she didn’t want to hurt him, but she did.

“I guess I’m not all that invincible after all.” he told himself. He began to think about his new ability. When he was a kid he used to run around in one of his mother’s pillowcases, and his Superman underwear, pretending he could fly, and was indestructible. But like superman he had one weakness, and his arch enemy, mom, defeated him with one bowl of chocolate ice cream. Now his one weakness, was a girl who, upon their first meeting, didn’t give him her real name.

“What did I expect?” he asked himself as the wind tossed his hair in all directions. He had no answer to his question. From the time he met Nicole Daie, and she somehow knew that he knew Grace, he was determined to see her, but he hadn’t thought about what would happen beyond seeing her. Now, he had seen her, made a fool of himself, and had his heart broken, all in one lousy day.

He closed his eyes tightly and steadied his breath to keep his mind from raging. He began to wonder how he would become invisible, now that he had the ability. He began to focus his energy, into that one task, and opened his eyes. Walking over to the door he came out of, he looked in the window, expecting to see his face. What he saw was nothing.

“Now that’s cool.” he said to himself.

When she got back in the room, she told the girls what powers they had. They both had telekinesis, it was a basic power, they all had it. Lucy had the ability to freeze objects, meaning she could keep them from moving. Amelia had the power to make objects explode. Lucy could control or create the wind. Amelia could levitate. Lucy could call objects to her. Amelia could deflect other powers.

When Nicole had told the girls about the powers they had Mr. White helping to explain when necessary, she gave them time to think, and walked over to Grace. “I may not have a right to say anything, but I will anyway. When you lie to those around you, its bad, but when you lie to yourself, its just as bad, if not worse.” she told Grace.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” she said, looking in Nicole’s eyes.

“I may not have that power, but you don’t have the ability to hide what your eyes say. And they say it clearly. I can read people very well, without a power given to me in the dark of night. Don’t try to lie to me.” Nicole said, looking back at Grace.

Grace could see the truth in Nicole’s eyes, and she was telling her the truth. But Grace couldn’t let her heart get the best of her, she had a job to do, and she couldn’t let anyone, especially some guy who never told her his first name. She had forgotten about him until she saw him. She had to forget him now, if she was to do her job right. “I’m not lying to myself,” she finally said, “I’m protecting myself, and those I must protect. That’s what I was born to do. So don’t question my motives or my heart. My heart doesn’t lead me. My head does.” she said what she had to say, then turned back to the window.

Nicole sighed, and turned towards the other girls. “There is one other thing, another power, that you all have, that you all have always had, but has been lying dormant. The first of the powers that need to be trained. That power is the connection between the three of you. A very vital connection. You need this connection to know when one of you is in trouble, or to read each other’s thoughts, when it is vital that the enemy doesn’t know what you are doing.” she raised her voice slightly to get Grace’s attention. “Three of you need to come up to the platform and have a seat.” They were all seated, the chairs were in a reclined position. “Now, I need you to relax, and breathe. Breathe in and out your nose, slowly.” she paused for a moment, until she was sure that they were all in a relaxed state. “Now, focus, but keep your mind clear. Imagine nothingness, darkness.”

Nicole kept talking, the more she spoke, the more relaxed Lucy, Amelia, and Grace became. They were no longer listening to the words that she spoke, they were listening to the sound the words made as she spoke them. Gradually the words began to develop an echo. It took minutes for them to notice.

While the girls were lying, when she knew they were in the right state, she began to say:

Hear these words

Through each other’s ears.

Hear thoughts

Hear fears.

Open up your minds to combine

To work together

Through these trying times.

The more she spoke, the more it sounded like a chant. She continued her spell casting until she was sure that they could hear her words through each other’s ears and minds. When she knew her spell was complete, she said, “Now, open your eyes.”

Grace sat up out of her chair. She didn’t understand it. There were so many things in her life that were strange, confusing, and just plain wrong. But this was bad. She had never liked the idea of someone “being in her head,” but this was ridiculous. Oddly enough, though, they were all thinking the same thing. How weird it was.

“Its okay, you will get used to it.” Nicole said, smiling once again at the reactions that the girls evoked to another strange process.

“This is insane! I can’t believe this is happening!” Amelia thought. She turned to see the other two looking at her. “Well, I can’t help it. This defies all of my learned logic!”

Lucy laughed at the fact that Amelia said exactly what she thought. “I don’t know many people who do that.” she thought.

“Is that good or bad?” Amelia thought.

“Probably both.” Grace though.

They all three laughed and looked at each other.

“Maybe the tension is starting to loosen.” Nicole thought.

Suddenly Grace got the eerie feeling that someone was in the room. She looked at the girls to the left of her, and they too had a look of nervousness on their faces. Lucy was holding her stomach, and Amelia was rubbing her forehead.

“What is it?” Nicole asked, her heart was beating almost too quickly to feel. “Their not trained yet! They could be killed if someone attacks now!” she screamed at herself in her head.

Grace was sitting very still, “Don’t move.” she thought to Lucy and Amelia. They agreed and Grace stood up. She felt a breeze of air coming from no where. Something was dear her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and swung her arms around. When she heard a crashing sound, she flipped her eyes open.

She had flung Taylor against the wall. Her heart skipped a beat and she walked quickly over to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m invincible, remember?” he asked gruffly. He pushed himself up off the floor and walked away from her.

“How did you learn your powers so quickly? Without training?” Nicole asked.

“I tried.” he said simply.

“Why did you come in here when no one could see you? You know how stupid that was?” Nicole asked, remembering he had done something stupid.

“I wasn’t hurt. I’m invincible. She threw me against a wall,” he said, not looking at Grace, “and I’m still alive.”

“Did it hurt?” Nicole asked.

“A little, yeah.”

“Good, you deserved it. Don’t do that again, or I will have those powers removed, along with the front half of your brain! Ever heard of that being done? Not a pretty sight!” she said, she was angry. Actually, Lucy could do it for her.

“Okay! I get it. I won’t do it again, at least not until we have to fight.” he said, going to sit beside Mr. White.

Grace was watching all this go on, but was distracted when she heard Amelia’s voice inside her head. “You do feel the same, don’t you?” Amelia had thought. “Leave her alone,” Lucy thought. “What if I don’t want too?” Grace rolled her eyes, “Is there anyway to block these to out?” she asked Nicole.

“Just think it.” she said.

“Why would you want to do that? What if we can’t bring back the connection?” Lucy thought. “We can.” Grace thought back. “Whatever, just answer my question.” Amelia thought. “Yes.” was all Grace said, before she broke the connection. She looked at Amelia afterwards, and put her finger to her lips, telling her not to say anything.

“Whatever.” Amelia said.

“What are you two going on about?” Nicole said, looking at them. They both shrugged and she said, “Fine, lets get down to business, shall we?”

“Its training time,” Mr. White said.

It was noon when they began training. Grace had been training her powers from the time she was sixteen, so she had no reason to be included in the training. Taylor had already learned to use his powers, and Mr. White was trying to give him more information on what is a good use of his powers, but he was distracted.

Amelia and Lucy learned to use their telekinesis quickly, but they were having a harder time controlling their other powers. They found that the trigger for most of their powers was their emotions, and Amelia got angry when she could get the hang of her abilities, and when she got angry her powers would control themselves.

Lucy was able to control most of her powers, but her ability to freeze was uncontrollable. At some times, she could use it perfectly, but others she couldn’t do anything.

But after a few hours they all were working well with their powers, but Grace found that Amelia’s favorite power, was being able to communicate to Grace and Lucy through her mind. Grace found it annoying when every time Amelia had a free moment, she would start up a conversation with the two of them, but Grace would just block her out.

Around five, Grace decided that since no one was paying attention to her, which she didn’t mind, she would wonder off. She crept out of the room, and closed the big oak door quietly, seemingly unnoticed. Taylor did see her leave. But he decided that it was none of his business anymore. He turned away from to door and tried to forget her. At least for a little while.

“Okay,” Nicole said, looking around the room. “There are some little details that I need to let you all in on.” She made a mental check to make sure everyone was still there. “Where’s Grace?” She looked around again. “Amelia, Lucy, see if you can get a read on her.”

After a few minutes, they both shook their heads. “Nothing.” Lucy said.

“Okay, I’ll just have to go find her.” Nicole said. Turning to the door.

“I’ll go,” Taylor said. Nicole looked at him, contemplating for a moment. “What? What’s wrong with me going?”

“Fine, just hurry. And no sneaking up on her while invisible.” she called after him just as he closed the door.

Grace was standing in the middle of a huge flat field. Not a hill, tree or building in sight. This place reminded her of home, of the big back yard that was behind her house. Although there were trees, and hills, she was still reminded, because of the safeness that came with home. But there was no safety here. In front of her stood a dark shadowy figure. She couldn’t see through it, or beyond it. It was like a black hole. She dared not step to close, for fear of being sucked in. What it really was, she wasn’t sure, there was no idea.

But as she gazed in to it, she saw the truth. This black hole had her family. And if she didn’t make a move soon, it would kill them. She stepped closer inch by inch. She was afraid, for the first time in years. She reached out a hand to the never ending nothingness.

Then she heard a voice, a familiar voice. It was calling her name. She slowly pulled back her hand and looked to the sky, where the voice was coming from. Who was it? She knew but this voice had never said her name. It was distant, and far away, but comforting.

“Grace?” Taylor whispered. “Wake up, Nicole wants you in there.” Taylor said, pushing the hair away from her eyes. “Grace?” he called again. He liked saying her name.

When he came in the room, and he saw her laying in the floor, near a large window, he thought she had been hurt. But when he came closer, he heard her rhythmical breathing, and realized she was only sleeping.

Finally he was beginning to wake her. He called her name again, and she suddenly jumped up, as if something scared her. “Are you okay?” he asked, his face covered in worry.

“Oh, yeah. Fine.” she stood up and looked around the room.

“Are you sure? You looked really scared just then.” he said, still worried, not fooled by her words.

“Yeah, I’m sure, just a bad dream.” she said, shuddering on the inside, worried about her family.

When they finally made it back to the room, she sat down in front beside the other two girls, and looked at Nicole. “I’m glad you could join us. Where were you?” Nicole asked Grace, waiting patiently for an answer.

“I fell asleep.” she said, looking, out of the corner of her eye at Taylor.

“Is that what took so long?” Nicole said, turning to Taylor.

“She must have been tired.” Taylor said.

“Is there something you two aren’t telling me?” Nicole asked, looking at the both of them.

“I was tired, I thought I would wonder off. I found a room with a big window, and sat down beside it in the floor. After a minute I laid down and closed my eyes. I didn’t intend on falling asleep, but I did. I had a bad dream, really terrible,” she shuddered, “usually when I have those dreams, I try to stay asleep until the end, to see if everything works out. But I woke up.” Grace said, remembering that it must have been Mathews’ voice that she heard, she had never heard him say her first name.

“Yeah, she’s telling the truth.” Amelia said.

“Please, for the love of all that’s holy, stay out of my head!” Grace spat out. When she saw Amelia’s shocked face, she said, “Sorry, I just can’t handle someone listening to my thoughts constantly. Lack of sleep and bad dreams make me grouchy.”

“Okay. Fine.” Amelia said.

“Back to business,” Nicole began. “There is some important things I need to tell you three. First off, of all the magical beings on the face of the earth, you three are the most powerful. But of you three, Grace is the most powerful. You three are powerful in your own right. But you are more powerful when working together. Remember that. It is one of the most important things you could know in all of the difficulties you are about to face.” Nicole finished her speech, and looked at the three of them. They were all quiet for a moment.

“What now?” Amelia said, looking at Nicole, then Lucy and Grace. “I mean, we trained, and we know the important details. Now what? When do we have to fight?” She was looking around waiting impatiently for the answer.

“When you are called to fight. That’s all I can tell you. You will know when it is time. Only you can tell.” Nicole said.

“It sounds more like you are prophesizing, then telling us what we are meant to do.” Amelia said.

“What are the chances that we will make it out of this?” Lucy asked. “You say that we are powerful, but are we more powerful than this thing we are going to be fighting? I have to admit, I am scared. I have never been this scared in all my life. I want to know if we will make it out of this alive.”

“I understand your fear. As long as you trust in yourself, you will be able to make it out alive, and well. I have faith in you, I know you can do it. All you have to do now, is have faith in yourselves, and each other.” Nicole said. She was looking at them, slight concern lined her face.

A few hours later, Nicole decided to let the girls out side. They had begun to quiet down, the deed about to be done weighing heavily on their shoulders. They hadn’t seen their families in twenty four hours, and she thought it appropriate for them to see go.

“Keep in mental contact with each other. There is a chance that one of you could be attacked. You might need to be there for them.” She told the girls.

“I’ve never been attacked in the daytime. Although it is close to night time, I am usually attacked really late.” Grace said, realizing that it was the first time in a while that she hadn’t been attacked over night.

“In any case, keep in close contact. And don’t tell anyone about where you were, and what you were doing. Lucy, if you call in work, tell them you had an emergency and you couldn’t get to a phone. I’ll give you a number give them to call. I’ll cover you. Amelia, If necessary I will give you the same number. Grace,”

“My family already knows. I’m not going to them anyway. Not until I know its safe. I might go for a walk though.” she told Nicole

“That’s fine,” Nicole replied. “Now I need you back before nightfall, incase there is someone or something out there waiting. If there is an attack it is more likely to be at night.” She told the three of them, “That means you too, Mr. Mathews.”

When Grace heard what Nicole called him, she wondered what his first name is. Amelia, who had been silent until now, thought, “Taylor, his name is Taylor.” Grace thought, “How do you know?” Amelia replied, “I asked him.”

The moment she was released, Amelia went straight to her apartment. She bathed, put on some clean clothes, set her alarm and laid down to sleep. But sleep never came, and she laid with her eyes open, wondering what the immediate future may hold.

When Lucy opened the door to her apartment, she could see from across the room, the little red light on her answering machine was flashing brightly. She walked over to it, saw the number of messages, and, for the first time ever, she hit the delete button. She wasn’t in the mood to talk. She just wanted sleep. She plopped herself onto her bed, and pulled the covers over her. When she closed her eyes, all she saw was the small rubber ball that she called into her hand. Sleep wouldn’t come for her, at least not now.

Grace had grabbed her pouch off of the table in the white room, and walked out of the door. She had no idea where she was going, she just knew that no matter what, she wasn’t going home, and she had to keep her mind open, to protect her new family, her sisters, Lucy and Amelia. She began to walk the streets she knew all to well. When she passed the diner where she met Taylor, she thought about going in, but knew she had no money, therefore she had no reason to be there. No matter what, she was not going to sit down, because the moment she did, and the moment she closed her eyes, she knew she would sleep, and dream of her family in danger.

Taylor decided to follow Grace. He didn’t know why, but he felt he needed to protect her. If not from the Unknown, from herself. He didn’t know why he wanted to protect her. She likely didn’t want him to. But he followed her, unseen to her or anyone else’s eyes, but he knew he had to keep his distance, because she would sense him. He didn’t need to be thrown into another wall.

Nicole and Mr. White sat quietly in the training room. Both afraid to speak. The both were worried about the four people they just let loose into the world. They were different people after their long stay in realm of the Guardians and Keepers. In this realm they were safe. But the world outside was very different, and they were very different from the last time they were among mortals.

“We trained them well.” Mr. White told Nicole, knowing she was feeling the same as he.

“Yes, but not well enough. Amelia, Lucy, and Taylor have never been in a battle before. They don’t know what to expect. If the Unknown attacks before they have battled anyone else, they might not make it.”

“I thought you said you had faith in them. You must hold onto that faith. Right now, your faith is all you have.”

“Yes, but if I didn’t train them well enough, and they come up against the Unknown, I will have put the world in danger. I placed the survival of the world in the hands of two under trained young women, and an arrogant young man who can’t get his priorities straight.”

“Because of what Grace said to him, he has them straight. His soul purpose in all of this is to assist Trinity. That’s what his powers are for, and he knows it. You said you had faith in the girls, have faith in him.”

“Believe me, I am trying.” she told him.

Grace watched her feet as she walked. She was tired of looking at people’s face’s. She had been walking for hours, the sun was just starting to set, and she had read the emotions on the faces of everyone she passed. They were all the same. Numb. The were all busy getting from point A to point B. So busy they paid no attention to the young woman who passed them, carrying everything she owned in a pouch, and wearing dirty rags for clothes.

“This is who they usually are.” she told herself. “If they knew that something terrible was about to happen, they would either be at home with their families, where they should be, or rioting in the streets causing problems for everyone else.” she thought. “Oh sweet blissful unknowing.” she heard. “Hello Amelia,” she thought. “Hi. I couldn’t sleep. I thought I would tune into the local station.” “This isn’t public radio, its private.” Grace said, laughing. “Too bad for you. We have to stay connected. Where are you anyway?” Amelia asked. “Walking. Walking where ever my feet will take me.” Grace said. “Shouldn’t you be making your way back to the building? Its near dark.” “I know, but I can get there in a flash. I can blink.” “Huh?” “Blink. I think of the location, and I blink, and I’m there.” “Oh, cool, why don’t I have that power? Anyways, I’m going to leave now. I have to walk.” “See you later.”

Grace looked up from her feet, stopped, and looked around. Her heart began to pound when she realized how far she walked. She was still standing on concrete, but not three yards away, was a path. In the pit of her stomach she knew where she was. The only time she had ever been her, was in her dream. The nightmare of her family in danger took place right in the middle of where the path lead. “This can’t be right.” she told herself, looking around. She didn’t want it t be so. She had to squint to see the nearest building. “It wasn’t a dream, it was a premonition! Oh no.” Tears began to fill her eyes. Against all better judgment, she began to walk to path.

Taylor who was not far behind her, looked at his watch, but remembered, if he was invisible to her, he was invisible to himself. He looked at the sky, and saw that the sun had just begun to touch the horizon, that meant that it was past time to return to the building. He had to follow her. He had to protect her.

Maybe she would contact the Amelia and Lucy before anything happened. Maybe they would come. He suddenly realized he wasn’t ready for this. He began to hate his arrogance. Reluctantly, he followed Grace, silently, into the unknown.

Long after Lucy and Amelia had arrived, and there was no sign of Taylor and Grace, Nicole began to worry. Lucy and Amelia were busy trying to get a read on Grace, calling her. She wasn’t answering.

“But you couldn’t get a read when she was sleeping, maybe she’s sleeping.” Nicole said, but she knew that Grace wasn’t sleeping, she was either ignoring them, or hurt.

“No, she seemed to wired when I contacted her earlier.” Amelia said.

“Did she say were she was?” Nicole asked.

“She said she was walking where ever her feet would take her.” Amelia said, beginning to get worried.

“Wait, you knew that she was telling the truth earlier, when she fell asleep. She said she had a bad dream. Do you know what it was about?”

“Yeah, but what’s that got to do with it?”

“It might not have been a dream, it might have been a premonition.”

“Uh, let me think.” Amelia closed her eyes.

“Hurry!” Nicole yelled.

“Uh, field. Uh, a black hole.” she paused, “What?” she asked herself. “No, its representative. Nothingness, can’t see inside. Don’t know what it is, unknown. Family hurt, or going to be hurt. Uh, that’s all I remember.” Amelia opened her eyes. Sighing.

“The Unknown has her family in a field, threatening to hurt them.” Mr. White chimed in. “I’m really good at symbols.” he said when they stared at him.

“The only field I can think of is City Meadow, near the park.” Nicole said. “We have to go.”

“What about Taylor?” Mr. White asked, following her lead and standing up.

“He’s with her, I guarantee.” Nicole replied.

“She didn’t say anything.” Amelia said. Then she remembered who Grace had thought of in her dream, the voice. Taylor was with her.

Taylor decided it was time to let her know that he was there. He was following Grace as she walked slowly and unsurely down the path. The grass was tall, and there wasn’t anyone insight, other than Grace. He had no idea how he would reveal to her that she was there without becoming visible again. So, he concentrated, closed his eyes, and then opened them. He could see himself, no it was time for her to see him.

“Grace.” he said, quietly. When she looked up, he was surprised, but said, “Behind you.” he said.

She turned around, when she saw him, she jumped. “How– Never mind.” she said, rolling her eyes. “Why did you follow me?” she asked him. She was upset, he could tell.

“I felt like I needed to protect you.” he said.

“I don’t need protected. Contrary to what you might think I am invincible to an extent. I can protect myself. I have since I was sixteen years old.” she said, looking around at the landscape.

“Yeah, when we went to high school together.” he said.

“What?” she asked.

“We went to high school together. When I saw you in the diner, I knew you looked familiar. But I couldn’t remember. But I went home, for the first time in years, and got my yearbook. We were in the same senior class.” he explained, knowing it didn’t make a difference now.

She remembered thinking that he looked familiar. But she also didn’t remember much of high school. She didn’t even go to her graduation ceremonies. She turned back around and began walking into the middle of the field.

“I know you don’t want me here. But I am. We should go back to the building. Its getting darker by the minute.”

“You can go back to the building, I’m not afraid of the dark. I know what’s out there in the in it. I’ve seen it, I’ve fought it. You have not. So if you think that we should go back, you can go ahead. I know why I am here, and I am going to do my job.” she turned back around and kept walking.

“Then I’m coming with you.” he said to himself, following her, becoming invisible as he went.

The other half of Trinity was sitting in the backseat of the black SUV that Nicole drove hurriedly toward Grace and Taylor. Nicole had told them to keep their connection open, praying that Grace would soon answer their call. Finally, Lucy broke the silence.

“Wait! I have something,” she told the other occupants of the car, her eyes still closed tight.

“Where is she, is she okay? Is Taylor with her?” Nicole spat out, nearly driving into oncoming traffic.

“He’s with her. Or at least he was. I can’t tell what she’s thinking, she’s nervous though. And afraid.”

Nicole put more pressure on the accelerator, now going well above the speed limit. Mr. White looked as if he was about to lose his lunch, from yesterday. Nicole looked at him, and he said, angrily. “I’ve never been fond of roller coasters.”

“We have to get their, as soon as possible, the faster I go, the sooner we’ll be there.” she told him.

“Or, the sooner we’ll all meet our maker.” he added.

“We don’t have to worry about how fast we get there, not anymore.” Lucy said.

“Why?” Nicole and Mr. White asked, simultaneously.

“Because,” Amelia said, “Grace is going to give us a lift.” she said. Just as she finished the words, the entire car was surrounded in white light, and they were transported within a mile of the path to City Meadow.

Grace was now standing in the exact part of the field that she had been in her dream. But before her wasn’t an endless nothingness, but a man. She couldn’t really tell, but from the distance where she was standing, he seemed to be a few inches shorter than she. Although she couldn’t see his face, even with light of the bright moon, she felt an aura about him, there was something inside him, something evil. He was the Unknown, and she felt, somehow, that she, or a part of her, had come against this evil before. But he was half human, she knew it. And that human half, although it was beaten down day after day, had a desire to be good.

The human body wasn’t made to be evil. The human body was made to be good, the good that its inhabitants, the soul, had learned through growing and developing in the time that it did, and from the traits that the soul, old and existing throughout the ages, had developed and learned. But the soul of the human form standing before her, was pushed back. The soul that was born into this body was being forced into submission by something else. Something terrible. The Unknown, and it was out to destroy Grace and all she held dear.

It had said nothing to her. And she nothing to it. She was praying to herself that Amelia and Lucy would make it before to late. But she hoped she could handle this evil until then. Her mind was raging with what to do. This was the first time she had really been scared of something that was threatening her life. She tried not to think of her family. She knew that if she was supposed be all powerful, and she was supposed to battle this thing before her, then it had its own powers, and she was sure that those powers could quiet possibly include the ability to read her mind.

Suddenly the figure of short stature began to move closer. He was less than five hundred feet away and she forced herself to stand her ground. She tried to imagine what it would do next, and what she would do in return.

“I have to get them here now.” she thought to herself. She forced herself to take her mind of the evil that drew ever so close, so she could use her powers of teleportation to bring them as close as possible, without the Unknown knowing what she was doing. She opened the connection to Lucy and Amelia, and found it easy. “They must have been trying to reach me.” she told herself. “You got that right.” Lucy thought. “Well, guess what?” Grace thought in return. “Yeah?” Lucy thought. “Your going to be with me momentarily.” Grace said.

Taylor stood fifteen feet away, he stared at the man he meet not a week ago. The man whose face he still couldn’t see. The man he worked for, who ordered the deaths of many women, women that he helped kill, simply by kidnapping them. He longed to see this man’s face. To walk up to the one he despised for so long, and to kill him the way he killed the helpless women, the same number of times he killed them.

He was surprised at himself. He had never thought such evil thoughts. But it was about an evil man. If he was a man. Nicole had told him that this man, the one he thought of as the Troll, his former boss, was the Unknown. “A little short for an evil life form from no one’s sure, whose soul purpose is to take over the world. Was Hitler this short?” he asked himself.

Nicole was leading the group silently nearer to the where saw Grace. Before they had gotten out of the car, she told them to stay low, so the Unknown wouldn’t see them. “If he attacks her, you can fight back without it seeing us.”

“Don’t you think it best if you and Mr. White stay as far away as possible, you could get hurt.” Amelia said. The sudden urgency of the situation had taught her that there are more important things than your own well being.

“Yes, but we need to be there incase you get hurt, and I am the boss here, not you.” Nicole said.

“Well, we are the ones with the powers.” Lucy said.

“Yes, you do have powers,” Mr. White began, “but she to has a power. It just might become useful.” The three women looked at him. “I had small vision on the way over.”

“You didn’t tell me!” Nicole nearly shouted. She remembered she needed to keep her voice low.

“You are not my keeper young lady. I am much older and wiser than you. And besides, we wouldn’t need an accident, would we?” he asked her, looking at her in a knowing manner.

“Fine, lets go.” she wanted an explanation about what he meant by his comment. But there was no time.

Now they were low in the grass, they could barely see what was going on. The one thought going through their minds was, “Isn’t he a little short?”

“Where’s Mathews?” Nicole asked no one in particular.

“He’s probably invisible somewhere. He better be here. He supposedly has a part in all this. At least that’s what Grace said.” Lucy answered, for no reason in particular.

“Oh, he does, a small part, but a very important part.” Mr. White whispered, looking at all of them. “I just don’t know what that is.”

“I’m going in.” Amelia said, and she took off in the direction on Grace.

“What does she think she’s doing? This could turn out very bad if we are seen.” Nicole said, the followed her. The other two directly behind her.

When Nicole had made it to her, Amelia said, “We need to split up. If he sees a glimpse of grass moving it will be a very big something moving through it, and he will assume that it is human. Lucy and I need to get closer to Grace, so we can help her if she needs us. You two,” she looked at Mr. White and Nicole, “need to get as far away as possible, so you don’t get seen or hurt.” When no one moved, she said, “I have powers of my own, no go!” Mr. White and Nicole crawled off toward some small bushes a few feet away, and Amelia led Lucy toward Grace.

After moments of silence in the dark, he decided he would say something. He knew that she was afraid. She was shocked at her fear, because she thought she was so used to being attacked by evil, that she had nothing left to fear. But the silence, combined with the evil was what was frightening to her. And he enjoyed scaring people.

He could tell that she was brave. She hadn’t moved, although she wanted to. She also knew that they had fought once before. And they will fight again, but with a different outcome. He wouldn’t be defeated again. He would complete his mission, the mission he set out to do long ago. This time she wasn’t going to stop him.

Finally he spoke, “Its been years, Destiny. Thousands, to be more precise. But this time, you will not beat me. I will destroy every thing you have ever known!” He shouted, emphasizing his point by lifting his arms above his head.

“You’re a little short to be threatening, don’t you think? Besides, my name is Grace.” she said, glaring at him.

What was she thinking words couldn’t phase him. “I cannot help the body I was born into, and I will not let it stop me.” he growled. “Just the same as you cannot help yours. Grace maybe your given name, but you know well, that your true name, your inherited name, is Destiny. Those silly little seers of yours gave you that name many thousands of years ago. But throughout the centuries, your powers have grown weak. Mine have had time only to grow stronger. And with my powers I will defeat you!” he shouted.

“Yeah, you said that already. But you haven’t scared me off yet.” she said. The more he spoke the less she was afraid.

“Oh, no. But you are still only human. And only humans are the ones who see no limit to their powers, but humans do have a limit, that limit, is themselves.”

“WOW,” she said, emphasizing her emotion by moving her head. “That was prophetic. Well, more like pathetic. Unlike most humans, I have a lot more power. I’ve been using it all my life, and I have seen no limit. I get stronger day by day.”

“Oh, that may be true, but strength doesn’t always come with experience. And for those many years that you have been using your powers, you have hated them, thinking they were a curse. You wished all of your life that you had never been given what you have. Your powers affected not only you, but your family also.” He could tell by her expression, even from a distance, that the mention of her family had struck a nerve.

“Leave them out of this!” she shouted. “They have nothing to do with it.”

“They have EVERYTHING to do with it,” he was getting angry, “You were born to protect you world, and in that world lives your family. In fact, they are your world. So yes, Destiny, they have everything to do with this.”

“My name,” she shouted, “is Grace!” and she flicked her hands at him and he was knocked to the ground. She moved closer, her arm outstretched, using her power to push him along the ground, tearing the tall green grass apart. He continued to slide across the ground until she used her abilities to lift him off the ground, and he was dangling in mid-air.

“Ah,” he managed to say, “I have struck a nerve.” he laughed sinisterly, and used his power of telekinesis to knock her off of him. She flew into the air, but like a cat, she landed on her feet, head up, hands touching the ground, keeping her balance.

“Yes, you have,” she said angrily. She flicked her hands towards him, to blow him up, like she had done so many times in the past, but it only managed to great a large bleeding gash in his left shoulder. “Well, you have red blood too. Just like any one else. Looks like you are just as human as I am.”

“Lies. I am more powerful than you!”

“So you’ve said. But, you did say you were born into you body. Born, with a human’s soul, a human’s blood. You are human at least to some extent.” she said, it was the truth, it may not be very powerful in his eyes, but it was the truth.

From no more than fifteen feet from Grace, Lucy and Amelia crouched in the grass, waiting for the moment that they would be needed. Lucy had been trying to connect with Grace, since they had found their hiding place. But there was no use. Grace was gathered up in her own inner demons, and the evil in front of her, to distracted to listen to the ones out only to help her.

“Not a thing?” Amelia asked.

“Not even an emotion. She can’t do this alone,” Lucy said, she was now watching as the Unknown and Grace took turns throwing supernatural punches at each other. It seemed to them, sitting on the sidelines, that the more they hit each other, the stronger they both became.

“They’re equally matched. There’s no way that they’ll defeat each other. Unless he has something up his sleeve.” Amelia said, cringing when Grace took a hit.

“Don’t say that, oh please don’t say that.” Lucy said, shaking her head.

“I think the only thing that could negatively affect Grace right now is if he had her family. That’s all she cares about. All that matters to her, that and doing her job the way its supposed to be done.”

“I hope we can defeat him. I’m afraid. And I don’t care to admit it.”

“Yeah, but we have to be strong. We have a world to save.”

Six feet away from Amelia and Lucy, Taylor stood, tense, watching as Grace went into the air for the second time. He was watching her get hurt more and more, and he couldn’t stand it. He knew he was given the powers he had for something, but what, was still a mystery. The only thing he could link of doing was sneaking up on the Unknown, and bashing him in the head with a rock.

But as he watched what he did to the woman he loved, his mind raced and he tried to think of something more cleaver, something that would seriously injure the man, and help Grace to defeat him. He knew what ever it was, he was going to be invisible, as he was now, and he was going to have to pray that he was invincible enough to not get killed in the process.

He had to think, “What is the source of the Unknown’s power?” Nicole hadn’t said nothing. But then again, he was the Unknown, so if no one knew what he was, then obviously no one knew what his power grew on.

He had heard Grace mention something about the Unknown being human. Maybe that was the key. What was it about a human that made them strong, but could be used as a weakness.

His mind reeled as he watched Grace and the Unknown hit each other with unseen blows at the same time. The only thing that came to him was the human heart. The heart pumped the blood through your veins, and if that was injured or hurt, by one thing or another, then you were useless. He knew how it felt to have his heart broken, but seeing Grace hurt, made his heart hurt worse. He had to do something, and he had to do it soon.

Off in the distance, the farthest away from the action, sat Nicole and Mr. White. “I feel like I should be doing something. I can’t just sit here and watch. I am the one who got them into this, why am I not able to help get them out.”

“Only they can get out of it, by using their powers to defeat the Unknown. You have nothing to do but wait.”

“Sometimes you make me angry.” she told him.

“You hired me, get used to it.”

“Yes, I did, remind me why.” she said, sarcastically.

“Because you felt sorry for an old nobody like me.” he said, faking weakness.

“I thought it was because you were the direct descendant of a seer who foretold of the first coming of the Unknown.”

“Yes, and you would think that I would have been able to foretell the second coming. This situation is also my fault.” he said, looking at his hands.

They were both silent for a moment. Then she looked up at him. “There is something I could do.” she said. “I just got an epiphany.” she said. She pointed at the imaginary light bulb above her head.

“And what might that be?” he asked, already nervous at the look on her face.

“I have the power of absorption. I can make them come together, to use their power as the whole of Trinity, and I can help them combine their power to use to against the Unknown!” she was excited, and determined.

“No, you cannot!” he shouted. “That amount of power entering your body, it has more of a chance of killing you, than saving the world. Don’t think about trying this just because you feel inadequate.

She was shocked. He had read her deepest thoughts, thoughts she had been trying to block out for many months. She had always wondered if her soul purpose in life was to find the ones meant to save the world from evil, and that was it. She had spent long nights wondering if there was something more to life than looking. That was all she had done for years, and now that she found what she had been looking for, she had fulfilled her destiny. That was it. She felt like a small child again, having had her deepest feelings revealed for the world to see.

“You have done a great deed in finding Trinity. You have had your hand in saving the world. You are a part of the future that they are working to save, and that is a great thing. If it weren’t for you they wouldn’t be here now, fighting. You have no reason to feel inadequate.” he paused. “Promise me you won’t do it.” when she remained silent, she repeated himself, but louder.

“Fine!” she shouted back. She didn’t know whether to be hurt or angry.

Grace could feel herself getting weaker by the moment. She had been fighting for hours and was having no luck. She managed to make him bleed, revealing to her his human side, but he too could heal himself, although it took remarkably longer to do so. She had tried to force blow upon blow on him, to injure him to an extent where he couldn’t heal himself, but she was too drained of energy to continue.

She had also attempted at opening the mind link between herself and her allies, but managed to her Lucy’s mind say, “I think I-” when she was distracted by having been knocked to the hard ground. “If only I had a moment to regain my strength,” she told herself, but she knew she couldn’t stop now. She had to keep going, or he will have the moment of opportunity to finish her off.

As she lay on the ground, looking at the starless night sky, she thought the first thought that came to her mind. “Mom,” she told herself silently, “if you are up there somewhere, watching me, help me.” She had never asked for help from anyone before, especially the mother she had never met. But it was her last futile effort.

She grunted at her absurdity, and stood up. But what she saw when she looked at the Unknown, shocked her, but almost made her laugh. The Unknown seemed to be trying to swat an invisible fly. “Taylor!” she thought to herself, as she stared, slack jawed at the scene before her. Then she watched as something unseen caused a gaping hole in the chest of the Unknown. The wound began to pour blood, as it became longer.

It was the perfect moment to call her new found sisters, but even before she could build the connection, they were at her side.

“Lovely to see you hear on this beautiful evening.” She said, as she looked from side to side.

“Is that who I think it is?” Lucy said, pointing at the goings-on just one hundred feet away.

“Yeah, I think so.” Grace didn’t need to open a mind link to know what Lucy was thinking. Watching as the blood of the Unseen stained the ground, Grace developed an idea. “Guys, we’re going to do something that Nicole hadn’t trained you in.”

“Huh?” Amelia said.

“Nicole said we were more powerful together, right?” Grace asked, taking a moment to glance at what damage Taylor was inflicting. When the girls nodded, she continued, “Well, we are going to say a spell that will make the Unknown weaker, and we have to hurry, before he heals himself, and kills Taylor.”

“Okay, I really don’t know how to rhyme.” Lucy said, looking at both of the girls.

“I can do that part, we just have to say it together.” Grace said.

“Lets do it!” Amelia was excited. They looked at her, and she said, “I’m really getting into this.” When the said nothing, she said, “get to rhyming, we haven’t much time.”

“Okay, I need a minute. As I say the lines, you repeat them.” They nodded in unison, and she turned to face the chaos in front of her. After a moment, she told herself, “please don’t let it have already been corrupted.” then she began,

This great Unknown

This thing to fear

Is half human, whose soul has

The powerful devotion

To do good deeds

Let his over powering evil half weaken

So his soul can strengthen.

And as they promised, Amelia and Lucy, while holding Grace’s hands, repeated her words. By the time they had finished, the Unknown had gotten the determined Taylor of his back, and had flung him in the air. When Grace saw this she ran to where Taylor landed, to find him unconscious. Amelia and Lucy had followed her, and saw Grace’s hand covered in blood from Taylor’s head.

“I told him I didn’t need protecting! Why did he have to be so stubborn!” tears were staining her cheeks, her hands holding his head. A single tear fell from her eye, and landed on his cheek. When she wiped it away with her thumb, she inhaled quickly when she noticed a faint golden glow come from her hands.

“Oh my!” Lucy said when she saw the sight. “Amelia, look-” she began, but stopped short when she didn’t see the other girl standing beside her. She turned, and saw Amelia, standing not three feet away from the Unknown, who had to make an effort to climb to his feet. “Grace, you have to see this.” Lucy said.

Taylor was just beginning to stir, when Grace turned to look up at Lucy. When saw what Lucy was talking about, she stood up, laying Taylor’s head back down. “She’s insane! I’m supposed to be the strong one, and I couldn’t beat him!” she said, wiping at the salty residue left by her dried tears.

“We have to help her!” Lucy said, looking at Grace, then behind her, to see Mr. White, and Nicole standing behind them, checking over Taylor.

Grace turned to see them, and said, “What are you two doing, you could get killed.”

“Don’t worry about us, you do your job!” Nicole said. Then she looked at Grace calmly and said, “Well take care of him.” Grace nodded, turned and walked closer to Amelia.

“What do you think your doing?” she asked her calmly, under her breath.

“Its my turn to see some action.” she said.

“This isn’t fun and games, you could get hurt. I did, and I heal myself!” Grace said, trying to convince Amelia to back off.

“No, I want my chance. He is supposed to be weak isn’t he. His good human soul will over power the evil in him. Right?” She saw Grace roll her eyes. Then turned back to the Unknown. He was still leaning over, feeling the affects of the wound, still not fully healed. She flicked her wrist at him, causing him to stumble backward, but not fall. She did it again, and again, but still he did not fall. She tossed her hand and attempted to make him, or part of him, explode. Nothing happened, only a small spark of flame, and a little smoke floated off of his chest.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he asked, now fully healed. He lifted his arm in the air in the same manner that he had when he flung Grace across the field. But just as he had, she lifted her arms to protect herself, more of a natural reflex, but it had a great affect.

She had deflected his power, just enough to keep from flying into the air, she did, however, stumble and fall to the ground.

When Grace bent down to help her up, the Unknown, who wasn’t far away, used his power to lift Amelia in the air, holding her there, suspended. When he heard Lucy scream, he did the same to her.

“NO!” Grace called out. She lifted her arm in the motion to blow him up.

“I wouldn’t do that if were you. You have had your powers too long not to know that doing that would ultimately put your friends in danger or their lives.” He said, bellowing out another of his sinister laughs. “But, there is something else you can do, and I will release them.”

“I told you so, Amelia,” Grace said, upset and angry at the same time.

“Sorry,” she gasped out.

“Are you listening?” he hissed. “I have a bargain for you.”

“And why should I make a bargain with evil?” she immediately thought of the spell.

“Because I have your friends, and, when the time comes, I will have your family. Agree, and neither will be harmed in my process of taking over the world.”

“And, what, pray tell, would you get in return?”

“All I want is for you to relinquish your powers to me.”

“Don’t do it!” Lucy said. “You have no reason to trust him!”

He knew what Grace was thinking. “You can give them up. You were always able to do so. The power lay within you. All you had to do was to release yourself of the curse set upon you by ancient peoples, they had no idea what it would be like for some one in this day to have such a burden.”

“But then again, they didn’t know of a second Arising, now did they.” she said, knowing it was true.

“Are you friends’ and family’s lives meaningless?” he growled at her.

Nicole shouted from a behind her, “Don’t do it! You give up your powers, you give up theirs. You give in to what will become of the future when that thing rules. What would Amelia and Lucy want? What would your family want? What would Rachael want?”

Grace turned and looked at Nicole, and then turned back around. “Put them down first.” she told him.

Amelia and Lucy started kicking and screaming. “No, Grace!” Amelia shouted. “I want my powers, I want to kick his butt!” she was swinging her legs, her hands wrapped around the invisible force that gripped her neck.

The Unknown dropped the two girls to the ground, and they rolled toward Grace. “What have you done,” the thought, having opened the mind link, they were looking at the ground when they stood up.

“I’m sorry,” she told them, looking at them both. They looked up and seen the sparkle in her eyes. She thought to them, “The spell worked, he was compassionate, only a human knows that feeling.” she grabbed their hands, the apologetic look on her face, save for the sparkle in her eyes.

Nicole was angry. The world was going to come to an end, and it was her fault. She hadn’t prepared the three of them for the worst. She had to act.

Mr. White was keeping Taylor still, making sure he didn’t move to fast. He was mumbling something in his unconscious state. Mr. White could make out only the word “Grace.” He looked up to tell Nicole that Taylor would be fine, but she was gone.

Grace, Amelia, and Lucy had no idea what was about to happen next. The Unknown was standing directly in front of them, only two feet away. He still hadn’t realized what had happened to him, what their spell had done. He still didn’t see the mischievous sparkle in Grace’s eye.

It was the perfect moment. It was a last resort. The most powerful bond in the world had been formed, and there was only one last element that could be added to destroy the Unknown forever. Nicole stepped between Grace and the Unknown, laid her right hand upon Grace’s shoulder, and her left upon the Unknown, the only thing she heard was a tremendous crack of thunder. At first she felt a jolt of electricity, then as sense of completeness, then, nothing.

Lucy, Amelia, and Grace were frozen. Blinded by the great white light that was emitted from Nicole, deafened by her scream, and shook by the thunder that clapped all around them they did not see the demise of the Unknown. When the power of Trinity entered his body, he was thrown into the air, the terrible pain of such colossal power forced his body, the carrier of the soul, and the darkness that was the unknown, to disintegrate into black dust that covered the ground.

That black dust was a thick layer all over the field, but in one spot, a tiny crater, about the size of a beach ball, was no black dust. Only glowing white power covered layered there.

***

It took Amelia Fates a week to get all of the black dust out of her hair. Eventually she had to cut the once long blonde strands. The hair she once loved more than anything had turned slightly dull from the events that day. But, within a month, it was almost to its original length and shine. But that’s not what mattered. She had undergone a chance in that two days. She was a different person, a better person.

Her father was the one that noticed first. She had, after all, taken her original personality from him. At first he didn’t really like the new Amelia, but she helped him to grow, and change. He began to donate to charities. He was a better person because of her. He was a happier person because of her.

Lucy Chance Williams returned to her job at a office of a doctor specializing in pediatrics. She loved children, and even though, a month after the events, she was told that she may not have a chance to have children of her own, she had hope. That’s all one has, and when its all you have, you make the best of it.

Just as before, her life revolves around the children she helps take care of. Its what brings her life joy, and she will never change in that aspect. Her life is just fine, just as before. And every day she thanks God and hopes that it will stay that way.

Jonathan White broke the news of the defeat of the Unknown, and the loss of Nicole Daie to the Guardians and the Keepers. He was forced to take care of business in the building. After all, Jackson was arrested, so Mr. White was left in charge. He found life to be one of two things everyday. Most days it was rather easy. He had no visions. he was free of the one burden he had ever suffered. But all the rest of the days, he was lonely. His only friend, who broke her promise to him, had sealed her fate. But, every time he thought of it, he realized, it was he who lead her to do what she did. He had told her that she was to aid in the defeat of the Unknown. He found it a little reassuring when he remembered that it was a vision that told him that she would play a part in the events.

But the hardest part came when he visited the site for the first time in the month since the defeat. Within the small crater, when the white glowing powder had been left, there grew a bush of white roses. As far as he could tell, they hadn’t been planted. And chills were sent up his spine, despite the warm day, when he saw the bush move slightly, as if a wind had blown it. but there had been no wind.

Taylor Mathews had to force himself to forget. It made his head hurt to remember. But it always hurt. Although, Mr. White had begged, he had refused to go to the hospital. “What would I say?” he asked, “Hey, while invisible and on the back of an evil being who wanted to take over the world. I started to stab him with I knife I still don’t remember I had, and he through me off, and into the air, I came back down and my head hit a rock.” Mr. White had just grunted, and walked away.

But in the end, moving back home with his mom, and helping to take care of her was the best thing he ever did. He was glad to be back home, and although, he woke up every morning, went to the porch to sit and wait for Grace to walk up the road to her parent’s house, he was doing fine.

He hadn’t seen her since that night, before he jumped on the Unknown’s back, for a reason still alluding him. When he woke up, he was laying on the ground, covered in black dust. He asked about Grace, and no one said anything. They were still in shock from what happened. From what he eventually gathered, Nicole had used her power, to take in that of the combined Trinity, to destroy the Unknown, thereby destroying herself for the sake of all humanity. Grace was thrown from the blast never to be seen again.

Now, one month later, he was sitting on his mother’s porch. Eugenia Barr in the house with his mom. He did this ever morning, and his mother had gotten used to it. He had just decided he would try to find a job, when the phone rang. He heard Eugenia answer and then call for him.

“Taylor, telephone!” she called from deep inside the house.

“Coming.” he said, then went in. When he picked up the phone, he said, “Hello?”

“How are you?”

It was Mr. White. “I’m thinking about getting a job. I don’t know if anyone down here is hiring anyone with experience in what I have experience in.” he heard Mr. White clear his throat, knowing the old man was choking back laughter.

“I was calling to ask you if you would mind coming up here sometime before 6:00pm today.” Mr. White finally said.

“What for?”

“Well, I don’t want to mention it over the phone,” he paused then toned his voice to a whisper. “I want to check up on how you body is handling those powers.”

“I’m alive, is that good enough,” he whispered back.

“Don’t mock me boy. No, its not. It won’t take long.” he said, then hung up.

“Well, huh, how rude.” He hung up, and went to go get dressed.

An hour later her had told his mother and Eugenia that he was going to go look for a job, and visit an old friend. They accepted the mostly true excuse, and he was gone. Three hours of driving and he was back to the town where he hadn’t expected to be. he drove his moms old white station wagon slowly and deliberately. He was happy to have a white vehicle. Black was annoying to him now.

He turned down a street, and seeing in the distance his once favorite place to eat, he flipped on his turn signal, and pulled into the parking lot. He didn’t expect so many memories to come rushing back so fast. He had to close his eyes and breathe deeply to get a hold of himself.

When he finally made it into the restaurant, he sat down at his old booth, and waited. The same waitress who waited on him every other time was there, and said, “Haven’t seen you in a while! How have you been?” she said kindly.

“I’ve been up, I’ve been down. I moved out of the city, back in with my mom.” he said, first embarrassed that he admitted it.

“You know, not many men would admit that.” she said.

“I’m just different, I guess.” he said. “I think I’ll have the usual.” he informed her. “For old times sake.”

She smiled and said, “Coming right up.”

He was left sitting in the booth, trying not to think of what happened the last time he was in there. His head began to hurt, and he closed his eyes and began rubbing his temples. Suddenly he got the strange feeling he was being watched. He hadn’t had the feeling in a long time, and he wanted desperately for it to go away. He looked up, and seen no one in front of him, then turned around, glanced quickly at the person two booths away.

He was taken aback by who he thought he saw. He thought a moment, but passed it off as resemblance. But the feeling of being watched hadn’t went away.

“Is this seat taken?” asked a voice he hadn’t heard in what seemed like years, but still made his heart race. He was afraid to look up, afraid the image that it created would disappear. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, and sat down in front of him. He had almost forgotten how much he missed that face.

“Grace,” he exhaled in a breathy sigh.

“Mr. White didn’t want to lie to you, but I made him. I wanted to surprise you.” she said, smiling.

“Well, you did.” he said. “I was beginning to think you were dead.”

“No, superman, I’m alive.” she said, joking.

“What happened. No one would tell me anything.” he was upset now, trying to keep his cool.

“I had some issues I needed to take care of. I made a huge mistake that cost the life of one of three people who treated me like I was human. I wanted to die for it.”

“Yeah, but where did you go, what did you do?”

“Well, when Nicole absorbed the combined powers of Trinity, her body couldn’t withstand it. Amelia, Lucy, and I were blown in different directions, I was blown the farthest away, I guess because I was the one Nicole was touching. I had a huge bruise on my shoulder from it.” she paused, touching the shoulder the was talking about, holding back tears.

She continued. “I was crawling on my hands and knees back to the site, when I heard Mr. White talking. I realized that she only absorbed because she thought I was giving up my powers. I did the first thing that came to my mind. I ran. I ran as far as my legs would take me, and when I could run no more, I walked, when I couldn’t walk I crawled. I basically survived the same way I did the last time I ran. I had a lot of time to think. The first person I seen was Mr. White, after I cleared my head. That was, a week ago. When I finally came to him, I was really sick, and helped me recuperate.”

“I thought you could heal yourself.”

“I did this damage to myself. I tried to heal, but it wouldn’t work. I didn’t even know I could heal others until you.”

“What’d I do?”

“You climbed on the back of, well, him and got yourself knocked unconscious. I didn’t get time to heal you completely, Amelia did something stupid and I got distracted. Mr. White says that it still hurts. Want me to,” she reached over to touch his head, and he pulled away. His action made tears come to her eyes. She blinked them back, and said, “Sorry.”

“Its just that–” she cut him off.

“I understand.” she started to get up.

“But–”

“No, its okay. It was good seeing you again, really.” she was out the door before he could say anything. He got up and ran out the door.

Once again he was left calling after her. He said the first thing that came to his mind. “You still owe me for lunch!” he yelled after her. When she stopped walking and turned around, he ran to her. “You told me you’d pay me back.” he said, smiling.

She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek. He lifted his hand to wipe it away. “Your to beautiful to cry.” he said, then, pulling her close to him, he kissed her.

When they pulled away from each other, and she hugged him tightly. “I lied to you. That day in the training room.” she admitted.

“I know.” he said, tightening his embrace.

“How?” she asked, pulling away enough to see his face.

“Amelia told me.” he said, laughing.

“I should have known.” she said, and she kissed him again.

And they all lived happily ever after.