Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key

Chapter
1

The fall semester of Temple University’s medical
program in Philadelphia had finally come to an end. Reece handed in her last
final, and walked out toward the area where her friend Jack was meeting her to
drive her to the airport. She had been dreading this day, not because of the
finals, but because she was flying back to San Diego. Halfway through the
semester, Reece had been notified that she would have to return home to settle
the last of her father’s estate.

Two years ago, the
summer after she graduated from college, her father died of a massive heart
attack. He left her alone; with no one she could call family.

She had planned to
stay in San Diego to pursue her medical degree, but it took nearly everything
she had to stay and cope with her father’s death. In the end, she could no
longer bear to live in the city that reminded her so much of him, and their
years together.

After his passing
she fled to Philadelphia in search of a new life. She had settled in quickly,
making a couple of friends who helped to take her mind off of what she had left
behind. Her grades were excellent, and she could not have been more proud of
how well she was doing on her own. She felt strong.

Now, she had to
return and face again the reality of it all again; the painful memories and
feelings of weakness that she had so successfully suppressed.

She was determined
not to let this trip tear down the strength she had found. She refused to let
the past haunt her anymore. The trip would not be a long one; she would quickly
handle the paperwork regarding the sale of her father’s home, and then return
to her life in Philadelphia.

“Hey, Reece,” a
familiar voice called out, pulling her out of her distant thoughts. “You’re out
early; I was just going to wait out at the benches for you.”

Jack was getting
ready to start his internship. He was an even tempered guy, and enjoyable to be
around. They had developed a quick and entirely platonic rapport from the
moment they met, and he always made her feel comfortable.

She smiled. “Thanks
for taking me to the airport, Jack. I hated to call you so late, but Lori’s
cancellation was kind of last-minute.” Lori and Reece had shared an apartment
since Reece’s arrival in Philadelphia.

Jack placed his arm
around her shoulders as they started walking. “So, when is Lori going to admit
she’s in love with me, and get rid of that geek, Mitch?”

Reece chuckled.
“When you get over yourself, and you’ve shown you can stay in a relationship
longer than one night.”

He stared back at
her. “Figures. Why do women always wait for Prince Charming to come along? I
could be Prince Charming if that’s what it takes.” He laughed at himself.

“Jack, I’m sure you
could. I think many of your girlfriends thought you were!”

“Well, whatever
dork Lori wants to date is her problem, not mine. I’ve never been the type to
attract the brunettes anyway. It’s always the blonde’s that seem to be
attracted to guys like me.”

Reece stared at him
incredulously, “You’re unbelievable.”

He laughed.
“Actually, come to think of it, there is
one
blonde haired, blue eyed
girl that hasn’t fallen for my charming sensibilities…” He looked at her and
smirked.

Reece shook her
head, “And that’s not going to change, either! I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“The fact that you
have to stereotype every female you come across. How shallow can one person be?
You’re actually judging your relationships with women by the color of their
hair? It’s stupid, and it’s half the reason you can’t stay in a relationship
longer than one day.”

Jack laughed, “Awe,
Reece, that’s what I love about you, always trying to keep me in line. And you
know what? You’re probably right.”

“I’m always right.”

Jack dropped her
off at the airport about two hours before her flight.
Airports, ugh.
If
there was any place that she dreaded, it was an airport full of rush and chaos.
On this trip, she had enough to contend with without additional stress.

She gritted her
teeth through the security inspection, then shouldered her backpack and made
the rounds of the shops, hoping to keep her mind occupied. She studied what
seemed to be every souvenir in the terminal, then headed over to her departure
gate and found a seat. She had at least half an hour before boarding.

As she sat back,
she noticed two young business men walking toward the gate. They were dressed
immaculately, in perfectly tailored suits that gave off an air of absolute
supremacy. It wasn’t their magnetic and powerful presence that had her studying
both of them, but there was something strangely familiar about them. Even so,
she couldn’t place their faces from any class she’d been in.
Well, it’s
obvious they wouldn’t be in college, Reece, they’re dressed like they own the
airline company. Who are these guys?
It was bothering her that she couldn’t
identify where she had seen them before.

One was
dark-haired.
Tall, dark, and very handsome
, she thought with an internal
chuckle. He was probably in his late twenties, but had an intimidating
presence. He walked as though he commanded the entire gate, perhaps the entire
airport. She frowned, trying to figure out whether it was the way he held
himself, or the odd sense that she knew him, that caught her attention.

The blond man
beside him was about the same height, and equally stunning, but less
intimidating. The good-humored expression on his face set him apart from the
other man. He looked as though he was recalling the punch line to a good joke.
The men walked through the waiting area and stood near the large windows, away
from the crowd.

Without warning,
the dark-haired man looked away from his friend and stared directly at Reece.
Their eyes locked, and she startled, but tried to continue gazing casually
around the room. Her eyes didn’t see what was in front of them, though; she was
wondering why these men seemed familiar.

She could not
resist another glance back toward the window. The blond man was already staring
directly at her.
Busted.
Perhaps she hadn’t been as discreet as she’d
thought. He smiled vibrantly at her to confirm it.

Oh, well...
She gave him back a smile, and looked past him at the
sky outside. Thankfully, boarding was now announced. Reece stood and turned
away.

Knowing this would
be a long flight, Reece had opted to fly first class. She was one of the first
to board, and found a comfortable aisle seat.

Two uniformed
pilots sat in the front row. Perhaps they were going to take over the flight
after Chicago, where more passengers would board. As soon as the airplane moved
away from the gate, Reece rested her head against the leather headrest, closed
her eyes, and allowed herself to drift off. It seemed now that the long week
was finally catching up with her.

She woke enough to
refuse when an attendant approached her to ask about refreshments. As she laid
her head back, the two pilots in the front row stood and walked toward the
cockpit.
That’s a bit out of the ordinary,
Reece thought sleepily.

She heard a step
and looked backward down the aisle. Through the curtain that separated first
class from coach, stepped the two young men she had seen earlier. They didn’t
stop, but walked toward the cockpit. Now, she was a little concerned. Both men
looked extremely somber. She noticed their blue eyes. Very blue eyes. They were
almost—they
were
glowing, like sapphires reflecting the light.

Reece looked around
at her fellow passengers, but no one seemed to notice anything strange. In
fact, no one seemed to notice anything at all; they all stared straight ahead
like mannequins, and the flight attendants were nowhere to be seen.

Now the two men
were in the cockpit.
Must be crowded with six in there
, Reece thought
nervously. Her heart beat faster.

The aircraft then
went through an odd array of motions. It banked hard in one direction, and then
immediately dropped. Reece’s stomach reacted instantly, and she gripped the
armrests so tightly there should have been finger dents in them. The plane was
climbing now. She looked for some comfort from the other passengers, but found
none. Everyone in the cabin was expressionless and stoic, staring blankly
ahead. Reece began to wonder if it could all be some strange dream.

Just then, the
plane lunged sharply forward; it felt as though they were in a nose dive,
speeding back down toward the Earth. Suddenly, a flash of light lit up the
cabin, blinding Reece. While she was still dazed, another blinding flash lit
the cabin.

After the two
bright flashes, the airplane started to level out. The lights in the cabin
flickered. It seemed the bright lights were the cause of the electrical
malfunctions in the aircraft. Or was it the other way around? At any rate, they
were not heading downward anymore.

Reece began to calm
down. The plane flew smoothly without any more abrupt movements. Quiet
conversations sounded around her, and she felt as though she were waking from a
trance. The cabin was dark, and the people around her were talking to each
other with concern.

A voice came over
the intercom. “Good evening, passengers. This is your pilot speaking. It seems
that our aircraft is experiencing various forms of technical difficulty. There
is no need for any undue concern, but to err on the side of caution, we have requested,
and have been granted, clearance to return to Philadelphia. We are en route
there now. I ask that all passengers remain seated until we return the aircraft
safely to the ground.”

Reece remained
quiet; she did not know what to believe. Shortly after the pilot made his
announcement, the airplane began its descent. Once safely on the ground again
and the airplane slowly returned to an open gate, the pilot came over the
intercom again, thanking the passengers for their cooperation and expressing his
apologies for the inconvenience. Reece sat in shock and wondered if it had been
a dream.
Dream or reality, I want off this plane
, she thought, and she
grabbed her backpack.

As she followed the
group back into the airport, she noticed the two young men again, walking ahead
of her. The blond man was acting as if he had just got off a plane in Las Vegas
after a winning streak, but the dark one seemed uninterested in his friend’s
enthusiasm. They stopped, both of them staring down at some object in the dark
one’s hand. Reece looked at them speculatively. They raised their heads
simultaneously, looking directly at her. She could not pull her questioning
eyes away from them, wondering if they were the cause of the airplane’s
malfunctioning. They returned her gaze, seemingly as interested in her as she
was in them. Everything in her wanted to stop and question them, but for fear
of making a fool of herself, she turned her attention back to the crowd in
front of her and continued to walk past them. Before turning the corner, she
turned back one last time. They were both staring intently at her. The dark
blond smiled at her warmly. There seemed to be more behind his smile than just
politeness.

After Reece managed
to secure another flight out for the next morning, she called Jack for a ride
home from the airport. She hated to bother him again, and should probably just
take a cab ride home, but she’d rather not be in the presence of strangers
after what she had just experienced. Jack had wasted no time returning to pick her
up, and she was grateful for it. The distress of the strange flight started to
diminish as soon as she was away from the airport.