Revelations (The Revelations Series Book 1) (8 page)

She turned to the right and entered the room to see a small wrought iron bed, a long modern style dresser and a wooden bookshelf. She lowered herself onto the bed, which looked to at least have clean linens, and looked at the book in her hands. She ran her hand over the angel on the front of the book and whispered, “To thee with love.” Then she slowly opened it. On the inside was an inscription that read:

To my sweet angel girl,

I know it may seam that I have left you to live in a world that will never understand or fully accept you for who you really are. I am truly sorry for that. This book will help you come to learn what a Nephilim is and all about their history throughout time.

Someday there may come a time when you are in a dire situation and feel as though you are all alone. Be assured that although it may seam that way, I promise that you are not alone. All you need is this book. I pray you will come to understand that what I have written for you is the truth. That there will always be times when you seam all alone, but be comforted by the knowledge that I am always with you.

Love, Your Father

Jenna shook her head.
What kind of an angel doesn’t know how to spell seem?
she thought as she shook her head.
It’s a simple word.
Jenna skimmed through the rest of the book. She knew she probably should read it, but she just couldn’t deal with anymore today. Remembering what her mother had said about keeping the book a secret she got off the bed and walked over to the closet. She was about to put the book on the top shelf until she could find a better place later when she noticed a small hole in the floorboards. She stuck her finger in it and pulled up. To her surprise, the board came loose. She peeked inside to see that it was just big enough for the book so she slid it in and replaced the board. She would make time to read it later when she had thought everything over

JENNA
ran as fast as her legs would carry her through the dense forest. Twigs snapped and branches cracked beneath her as her feet pounded over them. She knew he wasn’t far behind. She could sense him closing in on her. She quickly scanned the area looking for a place that would provide enough cover for her to stop and decide what to do next. She spotted the big oak tree that stood along the river.
Perfect
, she thought as she ducked behind the massive trunk. She leaned against the tree and tried to catch her breath.

“I know you’re close, Jenna. So why don’t you just surrender?” Alex called to her as he glanced around the forest.

Jenna forced herself to settle down. She wouldn’t win this battle if she didn’t control her emotions. “I’ll never give up,” she yelled back, immediately regretted it knowing Alex would now be able to locate her. The sound of twigs snapping under his feet told Jenna he was close. Realizing she had no other choice but to face him, she gathered her courage and stepped out from behind the tree as Alex came into view.

Alex edged closer to her with a grin of amusement on his face. “I told you there was no use in running; that I would find you no matter where you hid,” he taunted as he approached her.

Jenna bit her lip as she took a step backwards, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to escape. She had known she couldn’t hide from him; that he would find her. But she wasn’t going down without a fight. And, in the forest, she had the advantage.

“Don’t come any closer. I’m warning you, stay back!” she demanded.

“Or what? You don’t think you can beat me, do you?” he laughed taking another step closer.

Jenna stood her ground, this time surveying the area around her for anything she could use to defend herself. This was a fight she was determined to win. She’d had enough of Alex telling her she wasn’t concentrating and that she needed to work harder. After today, he would never again tell her how weak she was.

She took a deep breath and visualized the dirt on the ground. Within seconds, the particles of dust began to rise into the air around Alex. They encircled him, creating a barrier between them that enabled her to leap across the stream unhindered. She stopped on the hillside on the other side and turned around.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Alex asked. With a wave of his hand the dirt fell to the ground and he took a step towards the edge of the stream. He raised his hand; an energy ball forming in it that sizzled in his palm.

“Are you sure you want to play this game?” he asked. And with a flick of his wrist the energy ball sailed through the air towards Jenna.

Jenna willed the stream to rise and the energy ball collided with it head on causing it to dissipate before it could hit her. “Did you think it was going to be that easy?” Jenna asked, a little sneer appearing on her face. “I told you I’m done playing your games.”
Come on, one more step and I have you,
she thought as if willing him to come closer.

Alex took another step toward the stream and Jenna laughed. “Bad move,” she pointed out, her face splitting into a wide grin. She mentally called to the tree roots to wake from their slumber. They rose up out of the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around Alex’s ankles. Then continued to climb up to his arms encircling his body so he couldn’t use his hands and forced him to the ground.

Alex fought a losing battle against the vines that had gripped him tight. “Okay, I give up. Now, could you release me?” he mumbled.

“Not before I hear you say it,” Jenna yelled, not trusting that Alex would give up this easily.

“You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?” he asked shaking his head.

“Unless you want to stay tied up like that all night. Yes, I want to hear the words come from your mouth.”

Jenna was enjoying this. This was the first time she had ever used her abilities against Alex and had won. As far as they knew, no other Nephilim had ever been able to control the elements and it had taken her awhile to master them.

Alex shook his head. “Fine, you win. Now, let me loose.”

Jenna laughed as she released the roots from her command and they sank back into the ground.
Thank you for your help. May you rest once again
, she conveyed to the roots in her mind. She no longer needed to speak the words aloud. The elements seemed to know what she was thinking and would respond at a simple thought from her directed toward them. Jenna dashed back across the stream and threw herself into Alex’s arms hugging him tight.

“I did it,” she exclaimed. “I actually did it!”

Alex released Jenna and took a step backwards. “Good job,” he told her, a wide grin appearing on his face. “I never saw that coming. That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to get you to do for the last three months.”

Annoyed Jenna shook her head. “You know, Alex, it’s not like I haven’t been trying. All this is new to me. It took me a while once I figured out I could control the elements to be able to do it as fast as I just did.”

“I only meant that your powers are getting stronger. That’s what we’ve been working towards. That’s a good thing, Jenna. Believe it or not, I was once like you, so I do know how you feel.”

Jenna smiled. “Mom’s going to be so happy,” she said.

Alex lowered his head. “I’m sure she will be,” he mumbled.

Jenna realized what she had said. “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m sure your mom would be proud of who you’ve become. Not many people would have risked their lives to rescue me.”

“After what happened to me, I couldn’t leave you there. It’s just that sometimes when I see you with your mom, I miss mine.”

Jenna lowered her head. “I’m sorry she was murdered. I can’t even begin to understand how you must feel.”

Alex turned toward Jenna. “Being here has helped. Your mom is great. It’s just that…”

“Just what?” Jenna asked as she kicked a stone on the path.

“Well, I’ve never been able to understand how God could let my mom be killed and allowed me to be experimented on. I mean, what kind of God lets that happen to an innocent person, Nephilim or not?”

Jenna thought about it for a minute. She wasn’t sure what to say. “I can’t blame you,” she finally said.

Alex smiled. “Enough of this talk. Let’s get back to the house and tell your mom what you learned.”

Jenna bowed her head. “You know, Alex, I don’t know if I’ve ever said thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be lost.”

Alex smiled and headed back towards the house. “Come on,” he called over his shoulder as he took off running. “I’m starving.”

Jenna followed Alex back through the forest. She wished she could find a way to show him just how grateful she was. If it hadn’t been for him, she didn’t know what would have happened to her.

She watched him as he ran ahead of her. She loved spending time with him. There was something about him that made her smile and feel as though everything would turn out okay. They stepped out of the forest and into their backyard as Jenna’s mom opened the back door to call them in for lunch.

“Perfect timing, lunch is ready,” she called as they came out of the forest. “How did it go?” Erin asked as they came through the back door into the kitchen.

“Great! I finally beat him.” Jenna smiled as she sat at the table. This was the first time she had been able to win against Alex. They had been training almost every day for the last three months; and each time she had lost, he had told her she wasn’t working hard enough. But what he didn’t know was that she’d been practicing commanding the elements when he wasn’t around.

“Jenna, that’s wonderful,” Erin exclaimed. “You’re going to have to tell me all about it over lunch.” Erin set their sandwiches down in front of them and took a seat beside Jenna. “It’s good to know you can defend yourself now. Maybe you can start regular high school soon like you want.”

“Can I?” Jenna exclaimed. She was so excited she could barely sit still. Her mom had been afraid to send her to school where they didn’t know anyone until she knew she could defend herself. So, she was being home schooled. If they were going to be living in this town, she wanted to make some friends. She knew her life would never be the same but she refused to let it get in the way of trying to be normal.

“I’ll look into it next week.” Her mom reached over and patted her hand. “Now, tell me how you beat Alex.”

Jenna sat straight up in her chair, unable to contain her excitement any longer. “Well, as usual he gave me a head start. So, I ran into the forest where I knew I’d be my strongest. I headed for the stream, but it wasn’t long before he found me. I tried to use the dirt to distract him but that didn’t work. He used his abilities to clear a path through them. He tried using an energy ball but I used water to destroy it and then I summoned the tree roots to bind him and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t free himself. That pretty much sums it up.”

Jenna’s mom paused for a second when Jenna mentioned the energy ball, then started chewing again. “That’s great. I know it’s been hard, but I just want what’s best for you, honey. I think that since you have proven you can protect yourself you deserve a break. I’m officially giving you the rest of the week off.”

“Wait! That’s not a good idea,” Alex snapped. “Now is the time she needs to be working harder than ever. She can’t just stop training.”

Erin glared at Alex. “She can
and
will. She has done nothing but work hard these last few months.” Then her face softened. “I appreciate you helping her, but she needs a break. She’s still a young girl and needs to live life while learning how to manage her Nephilim side. It’s important she doesn’t forget what it’s like to be human.

Alex shook his head in protest. “I want you to know I’m against it. There are still people out there hunting us,” Alex said anger simmering in his eyes.

Jenna swallowed hard, lifted her chin and met Alex’s gaze. “There will always be people hunting us,” she pointed out. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me without any arguments. Now, I’m not asking you, I’m
telling
you. I’m taking a few days off from training.” After everything Alex had done for her, Jenna hated being mean to him. But, she really needed some time away from her Nephilim training to feel human again.

Alex shot up from the table. “If that’s what you want. But don’t blame me if your powers regress.” Without waiting for a response he stormed out of the kitchen and into his room.