Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (10 page)

“Shannon told me that her father was on a business trip.” I still couldn’t believe a word she was saying. Detherina nodded, seeming distracted.
 

I took the opportunity to scream at the passersby. “Help! Help!” I banged on the glass, hoping to catch someone’s attention. No one turned, and nobody came to my rescue. I should have known better. Even in my greatest moment of need, I remained invisible to everyone.

“Brian, they can’t hear you. I surrounded your car with a mist of obscurity. Whatever we do in here, no one will see or hear. It is the only way we can walk among humans. We must stay hidden.”

Despite her words, I didn’t stop pounding until my fists were numb and my voice was hoarse. No one spared me a glance. I slumped in my seat, my heart racing, and I felt the next tic coming. “Fuck!” I shook when the word came out.

“Her father, Arthur, died a week ago.” Detherina’s face took on a sickly pallor, and a steady flow of crazy-colored tears streamed down her cheeks.

“You’re freaking me out.” My body was shuddering, which heralded more violent tics to come. I gripped the steering wheel and tried to stop them, but they came harder. My shoulder scrunched and jerked while my neck grew tight as I fought to repress the onslaught. Detherina placed a hand on mine, and like magic, the tics ebbed away until they disappeared. I stared at her in disbelief.
 

“I apologize for getting you involved. When the news of her father’s death reached our rivals, they sent Ergans to watch her. If they get hold of my heir, my power will diminish. Being the heir to my throne, Shannon must remain pure. This vulnerability is a curse that was placed on us when our ancestors breached an agreement with Pratrim a century ago.” When I gave her a blank stare, she sighed. “It’s a long story, which I will explain once you’ve agreed to help us. But for now, I need your help, Brian Morrison. They can’t touch Shannon while she’s under the supervision of humans. Now that her father is dead, the gateway of Pratrim is open to wage war with us.”

“Why can’t Madame Elizabeth help her? Or you, for that matter?”
 

“She is untouchable when the link between her parents is solid. Once one parent dies, that link is broken, and our enemies are able to weaken our powers. She must make it through her Aarmark transition so we can safely take her to Tranak with us. The Ergans know this. It is even possible that they caused Arthur’s death. Elizabeth is a Binarian, half-human and half-Aarmark. She is just a watcher, a link to us. She does not have the fighting skills we do. As for me, I can destroy the Ergans, but I cannot prevent the havoc they would bring to humans in order to gain access to my daughter. Meanwhile, the leaders from Pratrim are getting ready for an assault.”

“I’m the only one who can help her?” Granted this woman was telling the truth, there were millions of people on the planet. Why me? The situation was getting more absurd with each passing minute. I swore to take my medication the moment I got home. My little rebellion against my disease was blowing up in my face. Weird things had been springing up left and right since the day I stopped taking the drugs.
 

“Yes,” she answered with conviction.
 

“How?”
 

“It was predicted by what you would call a Shaman that a human boy with his own set of burdens would come into her life the minute her father died. You came to see Elizabeth at the same time Arthur’s aura disappeared.”

Suuuuuuure. The tic-boy was going to come to Shannon’s rescue. The news had trouble written all over it, and I wanted to throw up. I cupped a hand over my mouth and tried to calm my nerves. Once my stomach settled, I launched the first of the countless questions I had.

“Did my meeting with Madame Elizabeth trigger the weird dreams I’m having?”

“When your paths finally crossed, her presence activated the gift you’ve always possessed. Also, the medication you were taking blocked your ability to see.”
 

“What does that have to do with helping Shannon?”
 

“You have dreams about her like you did of the snakebite victim and other tragedies that occur around you. Am I right?”
 

I nodded.
 

“I can’t see everything that you see in those dreams, but I know that you’ve seen the Ergans running after Shannon.”

“Are those the weird-looking creatures?”
 

“Since you connected with Shannon that day, you’re on the Ergans’ radar. They’re watching you and trying to find ways to take her. You are the only one who can help her. Binarian citizens have been watching over Shannon and her father for years.
 
As I mentioned, Elizabeth is one of them, as well as Gilbert, their butler. Binarians don’t fight unless they are of noble blood. Their numbers are dwindling, and we can’t afford to send many of them here. With our powers weakened when we cross the gateway into your universe, it is difficult to overthrow our enemies, so humans have become our best defense. I’m afraid our adversaries are going to make their move before Shannon turns eighteen, when she will reach her Aarmark maturity and can live among us.”

“Aarmark maturity?” This was getting weirder by the second. I glanced outside the window and sure enough, people continued to go about their business, not noticing me or the strange woman in my car.
 

“When Binarian Aarmarks reach adulthood, their Aarmark heritage completely manifests itself. This period also ushers in changes that reveal their abilities and modifications to their appearance. This transition also prepares them to travel in safety to our universe. This happens on the eighteenth birthday. If a Binarian doesn’t make the Aarmark transition, he or she will remain human and won’t be able to change later. This is much more important for those with royal blood. Until their birthday, a royal Binarian is susceptible to acts of violence from our adversaries.
 

Everything just blew right by me. There was too much stuff to digest. “Shannon is a Binarian, right?”
 

“Yes.”

The thought of losing Shannon to either those ugly-ass Ergans or her mother’s universe didn’t sit well with me. “Can’t she live here on earth forever?”
 

“Once she learns to defend herself, we can bestow the Wetheiran on her.”

“Wither-what?”

“It is a talisman that would allow her to live here in safety.”

“Why can’t you give it to her now?” I raised my voice in confusion.
 

Detherina closed her eyes and wiped away more of her colored tears. I wondered if Shannon shed the same colorful tears, too. I watched Detherina contemplate her answer and could see it hurt her.

“It’s not time yet. I wish with all my heart that I could protect her here, now. I have been aching to hold her in my arms, but there are things even I can’t change.”

I had no idea why I believed her. A dreadful ache burned inside me for Shannon. And like the Boy Scout I was, I opened my mouth and swore an oath to help. “I will do whatever I can.”

Her relief was obvious. The smile she gave me was so blinding, I had to cover my eyes. A glow emanated from her. It was weird.
 

“I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you both safe, but everything else will depend on you. Shannon has been told that you’re the key to what lies ahead for her. That is all she knows. I must warn you not to say anything about her background until the right time. I will be in touch. Elizabeth will find a way to get Shannon to live with you, so—”

She stopped when she saw the grin on my face. Some days I really thought I was bipolar. These mood swings were a tad bit disconcerting.

Detherina exhaled. “It is best if she’s with you most of the time. She’s safe in school because she’s surrounded by other humans, but now that Arthur . . . ” she paused, and her sadness rolled off her like a thick fog, “is gone, her home life is threatened.”

I asked the obvious question. “Why can’t you go to the authorities for help?”

“Do you think anyone would believe us? And if we involved more humans, the stakes increase, and we’ll have more blood on our hands. I assure you, our enemies will stop at nothing to get what they want, just as they did in your dream.”

“Yeah, not cool. Why do they do this?”

Detherina hesitated and then dragged in a deep breath. “It’s a war. I’m afraid you got pulled into it.”

I nodded, still not grasping all the details. “I’m not going to lie. All this shit . . . oops, I’m sorry . . . ”
 

“Go on,” she urged.

“All this is unbelievable to me. I still can’t wrap my mind around it. But for Shannon’s sake, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her out of harm’s way.” It was weird. My whole life was about to change, and I was calm as a clam. This was going to be a long day.

Her smile was gracious. “That’s all I needed to hear.” Then she vanished, her molecules drifting in every direction,

Just like that, I was alone again. The mist that surrounded my car disappeared along with Detherina.
 

Then I saw Mark and Darryl standing by my window. I blinked and tried to compose myself. My radio started playing the same song I was listening to before Detherina materialized inside the car. When I glanced where she had been sitting, I found a little purple bottle on the seat. I grabbed and pocketed it.

“Bro, let’s move.” Mark pounded on my window.
 

I checked my watch and was surprised to see that only a few minutes had lapsed. It didn’t feel that way, though. I swore I had been talking to Shannon’s alien mother for more than half an hour.

“Coming.” I unlocked the door and breathed a sigh of relief when everything seemed to be back to normal. The nightmarish episode felt like it never happened, except for the proof I had inside my pocket.
 

Darryl and Mark kept up their steady chatter while we headed to our class, not commenting on my silence. As was to be expected, the surprise meeting with Shannon’s alien mother began taking its toll on me. Shivers started running up and down my spine, and my shoulders twitched hard. Just as we turned down the hallway, I saw Shannon ahead, flanked by her friends. She looked happy, unaware of the devastating news of her father’s death that was coming her way. The reality would crush her.
 

My classes flew by faster than they ever had, even with the nonstop barrage of tics. Instead of heading to my car at the end of the day as was my habit, I hung around the hallway to wait for Shannon. I waved to her the moment she emerged from her Biology class, and her face brightened up when she saw me.
 

“Now, isn’t this cute? The freak-with-a-tic is making a move on my girl.” Kevin Masters’ annoying voice came from behind me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Shannon walking faster in my direction. I turned to face him. “Last I heard, she broke up with you,” I said, feeling bold for the first time in my life.

Normally, I would have walked away from this type of confrontation. I would watch everything I said around Kevin because he would beat the crap out of me, and I didn’t want Mark or Darryl involved in a fight. But not this time—I had to watch over Shannon.

Instead of responding, Kevin launched his fist into my face, and a loud, cracking sound echoed in my ears. “Now you can hear that! Want to hear it again?” Kevin challenged.

I stumbled backward, landing on my butt. Students ran over and formed a tight circle around us. Shannon pushed herself in front, rushing over to me. She tried to help, but I waved her aside. Kevin had gotten away with his attitude in the past, but I wasn’t going to let him off the hook this time. I’d had enough of bullies. He was done making my life a living hell.
 

I cracked my knuckles and was preparing to barrel at him when someone yanked me back.
 

“Don’t even think about it,” Mark said from behind. Darryl stood in the middle, his arms outstretched, keeping Kevin and me apart.
 

“Stanton, tell that freaky friend of yours I’m not finished with him.” Kevin spit on the linoleum floor and stalked away.

“Kevin, don’t start with me,” Mark called out.
 

“Why don’t you tell
him
yourself,” I yelled after him.

Just before he cleared the front door, Kevin was approached by the principal. A student must have reported the incident. Mark relaxed his grip, and Darryl picked up my backpack from the floor. I wiped the blood off my nose with the back of my hand before turning to check on Shannon. Her face was red, and she looked like she wanted to kill.
 

When Shannon caught my eye, she snapped out of her daze and reached into her backpack and produced a tissue. Instead of handing it to me, she dabbed at the blood running down my nose herself, right in front of everyone. I felt like the luckiest man alive, despite the throbbing pain. My nose was already swelling. I’d be sporting an overgrown tomato in the middle of my face for days to come.

“Are you okay?” Shannon asked.
 

I nodded. “It’s nothing.” It felt good to sound tough for a change.

“Mr. Morrison, I want to see you in my office,” Mr. Delson, the principal, said. The crowd scattered fast, including Mark and Darryl.