Clan of Redemption (21 page)

“I can’t run any faster,
running in this sand is like running on an escalator. If we just
had something to distract them, like a bunch of seagulls that would
dive bomb them,” I said as I tried to make my legs move
faster.

We got to the car and I
unlocked the passenger side for Logan and Sully and we all were
looking towards the guys when out from behind some low clouds came
a flock of birds in formation diving towards the men chasing
us.

“Well I guess you got what you
wished for, didn’t you,” Sully said as she climbed into the back
seat.

“Yeah, that’s strange,” I said
as I ran around the other side and got in and started the car. As
we drove away, the birds started to fly away as well, and the men
that seemed to be chasing us stopped and just
starred.

“That was creepy, do you see
the way they were starring at us. It’s like they were in a trance,”
Sully said.

“Yeah, it was really weird, so
Logan, did I do that bird thing?” I asked him.

Yes you did and at the right
moment.

“So, I can talk to birds?” I
asked.

Not exactly, more like control
the birds.

“Was my Mom able to do this
stuff too?” I asked as we headed back into town.

Some of this stuff, yes, but
she didn’t have the necklace and together they are more
powerful.

“Are we safe at that motel
room anymore, if those people know I’m here, and what my cars looks
like, won’t they come looking for us?” I asked.

Yes, I think we need to find
another place to stay, I think I know of a place that we might be
safe at, for awhile anyway.

We stopped by the motel first
and loaded all of our things into the car and checked out of our
rooms, and Blake's too. Logan gave me directions to a house that
was outside of town, it took us about 20 minutes to get there but
it was definitely secluded. It was in a wooded area that I don’t
think I could have found if you asked me to. We turned off a road
onto a dirt one, which went back about 2 miles until we came to a
clearing and there sat a house, or I guess you could call it more
like a cabin. It was small but it looked like it was in good shape
for being abandoned for so many years. There was moss growing on
the roof, but the siding looked like it wasn’t but a few years old.
The porch looked like it needed to be replaced soon, the boards
sunk in, and then were warped in other places, poking
up.

“Who’s place is this?” I asked
Logan.

This was my Mom and Dad’s
house from a long time ago, before I was born, but my Mom had told
me about it just in case we needed to use it. We should be safe
here, no one knew about this place, it was where my Mom and Dad
came to be together in private.

“So your Mom and Dad weren’t
supposed to be together?” Sully asked as we started walking up to
the house.

No they weren’t, Jayden’s Mom
was promised to my Father, but they didn’t love each
other.

“You mean like an arranged
marriage?” I asked as we walked up the step to the front
door.

Yes, like an arranged
marriage.

“I didn’t know they still did
that anymore, that’s like old and barbaric. Did either one of you
notice when we pulled up that smoke was coming out of the chimney,”
Sully said as she tried to peer through the window.

“Does someone live here?” I
asked Logan, but he was busy sniffing around the
door.

Not that I know of, but there
is someone here I can smell them.

“Maybe we should just leave,
what if they mean us harm?” I asked as I started to feel
dizzy.

“Jayden, are you ok, you look
flushed again?” Sully asked as she walked over to
me.

“I’m ok, I just felt a strong
sense of something,” I said as I leaned again the railing of the
porch.

Just as Logan came over to me,
the door to the cabin opened and there stood something that would
have normally made me scream and run away.

It was a man, I think, but he
looked like a mixture of a man and a beast. He was way over 6 feet.
His hair, or fur all over, except his arms, almost a dark brown to
black color. His face resembles a man but a mix between a man and a
beast. His arms are still furry but he has man hands, but his legs
are like horse or sheep legs with hoofs.

What's going
on?

“Bring her inside before she
passes out, put her on the couch by the fire. I’ve been expecting
you,” he said as he moved aside for us to come in.

I could still walk but barely,
Sully helped me over to the couch and I laid down.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but
who the heck are you?” Sully asked.

Sully, be careful about what
you say, you could offend him and we don’t know if he’s friendly or
not.

“I’m not offended; I expect
reactions like that, looking like this anyway,” he said as he shut
the door and went over to what looked like a kitchen
area.

“So, if you’re not offended,
then answer my question,” Sully said as she took a defensive
position next to me.

“Easy Sully, I mean you no
harm, I am a friend. I was sent by Jayden’s grandfather. He knew
that Logan would bring you here, so he sent me to get this house
ready for you to stay. The only thing that I couldn’t do is get
food, for obvious reasons I cannot be seen by anyone, so Sully will
need to go into town and get supplies for us to
stay.

“Hey, when did you decide that
you get to order me around?” Sully barked.

Sully, no one is ordering you
around, we need you very much, and Jayden isn’t up to going
anywhere.

“Ok, but remember furry guy, I
don’t take orders from anybody,” Sully said as she looked at
me.

“I do have a name, if you
don’t mind,” he said.

“So are you going to make us
guess what it is?” Sully sneered.

“Sully, that’s enough, he
seems to be helping us, I really don’t think that’s anyway to treat
him,” I said.

“My name is Thornton,” he said
as he poured hot water in to three cups.

“Hi Thornton, I’m Jayden, and
this is Sully, and this is my dog Saska,” I said not sure if he
knows about Logan or not.

“Nice to meet you all, and I
thought his name was Logan?” He said as he offered Sully and I some
tea.

“Oh, yes he is Logan, I just
wasn’t sure if you knew,” I said as I took the tea.

“Your Grandfather keeps me
informed all the time,” he said.

“So can I ask you why you look
like this,” I said, not sure if I really wanted to know the
answer.

“I didn’t agree with your
Grandmother,” he said.

“So, what, she turned you into
this?” I asked not able to drink my tea, I think my mouth was still
open from the shock of this all.

“I am able to turn into a dog,
and as you can see many other animals, like your friend Logan here,
and I was once part of a group that protected your family. Your
Grandmother was punishing someone and I didn’t agree with her so I
stood up and said as much,” he said as he sat down in a chair
across from the couch.

“So Jayden’s Grandmother is a
witch?” Sully asked.

“We don’t use witch in our
society, she is called our Queen Charmer,” he said as he sipped on
his tea. The tea cup in his hands was tiny compared to his fingers;
with a little squeeze he could probably crush that
cup.

“So what am I then?” I
asked.

“Jayden, you are the Princess
Charmer, your mother was in line for the position but she didn’t
want to follow our laws and she left.” Thornton
said.

“Logan, why can’t you tell me
any of these things?” I asked him.

“Logan, I’ll answer that for
you. Logan is still in our society and if he was to go against our
laws, he would no longer be able to protect you. Protecting you is
most important, especially from the opposing clan.

“Why am I so important?” I
asked as I sat up. I was feeling much better, I think I’m starting
to get the hang of these so called “powers”.

Jayden, have you not been
listening, you are in line to rule our people ,and you have the
necklace which your grandmother hasn’t had in many, many
years.

“You have the necklace, your
Grandfather is going to want to know this,” Thornton
said.

Oh shit, guess that's out of
the bag.

“Are you all hungry, because I
think that Sully should get going so that we can make something to
eat,” Thornton said as he got up.

“Logan, will you go with
Sully, I don’t feel comfortable with her going into town by
herself?” I asked him.

And I don’t feel comfortable
leaving you alone.

“Logan, I will protect Jayden
while you are gone, besides, no one knows that we are here, except
your Grandfather,” Thornton said.

Can we really trust my
Grandfather. These people don't know me.

“I really don’t need any
protection, I have a black belt in karate, so I’m pretty sure I can
take care of myself,” Sully said.

“I would still feel better if
Logan went with you, plus he’ll make sure you don’t drive crazy in
my car."

“Great, I have a mutt as a
chaperon,” Sully said as she threw her arms up.

Logan shot sully the best look
he could muster from his dog face.

“I’ve made a list already, and
feel free to get other things too. Here is some money that Jayden’s
Grandfather gave me,” Thornton said as he handed Sully the list and
money.

“Let’s go mutt, times a
wasting,” Sully said as she took my keys from me and headed for the
door.

Sully, I will remind you not
to call me a mutt only one more time, after that you might have to
get a rabies shot.

“Hey now, don’t get physical,
I was just kidding,” Sully said as they walked through the
door.

After the door shut, I was a
little uncomfortable, not knowing this half beast I didn’t know
what to say.

“You have the same presence as
your Mother did and you look a lot like her,” he said as he came to
refill tea.

“You knew my Mother?” I asked
with excitement.

“Of course I did, remember I
was one of her protectors,” Thornton said.

“So why didn’t my Grandmother
have this necklace for so long?” I asked him.

“Well your Grandmother was a
nice person once, but after she changed she became cruel. A bunch
of us got together and hid the necklace from her, she never knew
who it was, she had always thought it was Nikolas's
clan.

“Clans, what do you mean by
clan’s?” I asked him.

“Well there are two sets of
people in our community, there’s Nikolas's clan and your
Grandmother’s. But over the years your grandmother’s clan has been
diminishing.” Thornton said.

“So what are we anyway, are we
all charmers?” I asked still not sure of what he was talking
about.

“No, no we have some powers
but really your family are the charmers, you keep the peace and
make sure that we live together in harmony with the others. I guess
you could call us shape shifters,” Thornton said.

“So what is the ring and
necklace do?” I asked as I rubbed the stone on the
necklace.

“Oh, that you’ll have to talk
to your Grandfather about, I don’t know that much, like I said I
was just a protector, my role didn’t entail as much information as
you’re asking,” Thornton said as he got up and checked out the
window.

“Do you see something?” I
asked getting a little worried about Logan and
Sully.

“No, I just thought I smelled
something,” Thornton said as he came and sat back in the
chair.

“So what happened after
Grandmother did this is you?” I asked wondering what his life must
be like.

“I was cast out of the
community, unable to live with the others, or with regular humans
for that matter. Can you image what people would say if they saw
me,” he said as he caught a glimpse of himself in a picture that
was on the wall. I could tell by looking at him that he has lost a
lot in his life being like this.

“I am so sorry that this
happened to you.” I got up from the couch and walked over to him.
At first I was hesitant of touching him, probably how people would
be out in the world, and then I stopped myself and reached out and
touched him on the shoulder.