The Guardian's Protector: The Chamber of Souls (26 page)

‘
Oh yeah
,’ Amy said, rolling her eyes. ‘It feels like I’ve won the lottery now. I’ll look
forward
to my twenty-first, shall I?’ Mark’s smile disappeared.

‘We know you don’t wish to do this, beautiful,’ Adaizi said. ‘We just wanted to let you know that there’s nothing to fear.’ Amy looked back at the curtains. ‘Once you have the power of light, we will train you for when Ethan comes so we can help Tom…’

‘Not
help
Tom,’ Amy asserted, turning back and looking her in the eyes. ‘Do it
for
Tom!’

‘Pardon?’ Adaizi said.

‘I will train with the light so I can fight,’ Amy clarified, her face stern, ‘but
I
will kill it! I don’t want Tom involved.’

‘But…’

‘That’s my deal! You are not to tell Tom anything, teach him about this mission or prepare him in any way. If you want us to stay here under your close guard, that’s the only way. Over my dead body will he be a killer!’

Adaizi lowered her tone. ‘Your dead body may well be the case if you are left to think you can single-handedly fight the Dogo—’

‘Adaizi,’ Mark interrupted, ‘we will also be there to help…
if that’s what Amy wants
!’ he added, glancing respectfully at Amy. ‘Shouldn’t we trust that her way is right?’

Adaizi was stumped for a moment, confused at Mark’s statement. ‘Mark, how can you even think of supporting…or letting Amy think—?’

‘We trust in the Decision Maker, don’t we?’

‘Of course.’

‘He decided Amy was fit to be Tom’s mother, so we should
trust
her way like he did. However she deals with it, it will turn out right in the end.’

‘But…’

‘She’s going to open a channel to invoke the light! We should just be happy she’s prepared to visit her higher self. Let
us
take things one stage at a time.’

‘Sure,’ Adaizi said humbly. Amy was amazed that Adaizi had somehow, even though she was the senior Guardian, been persuaded by his words, but sensed that whatever way she decided to do things, on some philosophical or Order-like level, would be something they believed to be right.

Mark turned and smiled at Amy like he believed she’d come round eventually in her own time. It was another form of sucking up, which only riled her, but at this point she didn’t care. It had shut Adaizi up and that was all that mattered.

‘One other thing, though,’ Adaizi added, her face full of compassion as she turned to Amy, ‘can you try to see your family as little as possible?’

Amy felt like she’d been hit in the heart. ‘Why?’

‘Once you open a channel, it will be hard enough for us to protect
you
. Ethan will kill anyone he knows is close to you just to weaken you, and our main concern at that time will be to keep you safe. Once you invoke the light, you’ll have the power to protect yourself.’

‘What about my family then?’

‘They should be safe if we’re around to protect them.’ Adaizi rubbed Mark’s knee as she said it.

‘And if you’re not?’

‘They may be killed by Ethan!’

‘But you will always be around to protect them, won’t you?’ Amy asked, looking at Mark for support.

‘They may be killed by Ethan even if we are around,’ Adaizi said. ‘Mark knows that more than anyone.’

Mark put his head down and took in a deep breath, his expression filled with conflict. Adaizi took Mark’s hand and patted it to comfort him.

‘Fine,’ Amy agreed, realising the death of Mark’s parents must have something to do with it. ‘I can understand why my family may be vulnerable, but why will it be hard to protect me?’

‘An open channel can be seen. It can also be filled with light or dark. If Ethan so much as clasps eyes on it, he will take over you and operate you like a machine in a matter of seconds. He’ll make sure you’re the one that kills Tom!’

Amy grimaced with outrage. ‘You can stop him. You’re much more powerful, aren’t you?’

‘At this moment, yes we are. That’s why we can’t do anything to defend you, or even stop it from happening.’

‘What?’ Amy spat.

‘He won’t try to hurt
us
!’ Adaizi said. ‘Before the age of seven he wouldn’t dare try to use dark powers on us. If we were to use our light while he sends a stream of dark into you, it could kill him.’

‘So what? I don’t get it. Why can’t we stop him now? It would be so much easier to kill him as soon as he was born each time, before he gets powerful.’

‘He’s not of full mind or power before age seven. He’s influenced by his last mind and his last powers. Until he obtains his full powers, and therefore can make a logical choice, we have to give him the benefit of the doubt.’

‘What doubt? Has he ever used logic that doesn’t suit himself? Has he ever not used his powers for his own gain?’

‘No, but everyone has the potential to change. Maybe the words should be an informed choice. You and Tom are much more powerful beings than he’s ever had to fight. He may think twice. He’s not fixed. Each life we lead gives us a new perspective and outlook on life. He
could
choose not to use his power.’

‘If he remembers his past, how can he gain new perspective?’

‘In many ways. Stranger things have happened.’

‘I don’t get how your light would kill him. Tom used light on him and it didn’t kill him.’

‘Tom’s light is a small fraction of his true power, and it’s equal to Ethan’s residual powers, therefore it’s a fair fight. His defence isn’t enough to kill, just to stop.’

‘You could put up a shield, couldn’t you?’

‘A shield can kill Ethan. It would be like him crashing into a brick wall at seventy miles per hour.’

‘You can Light-Void me away if he came!’

‘Yeah we could if there was time, but it takes a certain, concentrated state to Light-Void. You must clear away all thoughts entirely. Up against dark powers, and the situation in question, even a master at meditation would find it difficult.’

‘There must be
something
you could do to stop him taking over me without hurting him. You’re Guardians!’ Amy said.

‘Well yes,’ Mark admitted, ‘we could take the power into our own body.’

‘But,’ Adaizi added, giving Mark a reproachful look, ‘to do that with Ethan the age he is, we would have to let down our guard. Our guard is like our
internal
shield. Without our guard, his power would kill us
.
We can’t knowingly kill ourselves either!’

‘Why are you able to let down your guard and take dark power if you’re not allowed to use it?’

‘We can use it. We can take much more pain than a human. Something that would kill a human would only hurt us. We also sometimes just let down our guard to enable us to look human to some who can see shades—like Rose can—if necessary. But we can’t take an intention to take over an open channel. Our bodies couldn’t cope if the power tried to take over our souls. It would kill us.’

‘Once he’s of age,’ Mark brought up, ‘we can take whatever he dishes out for his victim because we’d have our shield.’

Amy looked at him, which caused her heart to flutter. ‘Then you’d survive?’

‘Most of the time, yes.’

‘So you can get hurt, then?’ Amy didn’t know whether she was still referring to the subject at hand or having a sly dig at this point.

‘We always get hurt by taking pain for another,’ Mark answered, ‘but we would be more hurt if another was in pain.’ Mark paused as if he too was communicating something besides the matter. ‘If the power he used was to kill, we could get killed but, with our shield, it’s a gamble we’re able to take. We use our judgement every time.’

‘We can take all intentions to hurt,’ Adaizi said in a corrective tone, ‘but if the intention was to kill we should use our judgement wisely!’ Adaizi gave Mark a strange look. ‘Some of us,
luckily
, only have the
scars
to prove that!’ As Adaizi looked at Mark’s scar, Mark rolled his eyes as if he’d heard the lecture a million times. ‘Mark is unique in many ways, Amy, but he would still be killed trying to save you.’

‘I don’t want anyone to kill themselves trying to save me!’ Amy said.

‘I know you don’t, beautiful. We’re just telling you some facts to help you realise the importance of—’

‘The
fact
is,’ Amy interrupted, ‘you would have to stand and watch if he tried to infuse dark into my soul, then once he had me, controlling me, using me, manipulating me, he could make me do what the hell he wanted. He’d make me kill Tom?’

Adaizi lowered her voice. ‘We would stop you.’

Amy looked at her for a moment in realisation. ‘By stop you mean…
stop
?’

‘If you tried to kill any one of us…we would have to defend ourselves.’

‘You’d kill me!’ Amy said with a sarcastic smile on her face. ‘That’s just great!’ Amy looked at Mark, his face riddled with pain and, as he met her gaze, her treacherous heart filled with every inch of her love. She could hardly breathe. ‘Can I go now?’

‘If you’re clear…’ Adaizi began.

‘My mum needs to bring me some clothes.’ Amy pulled at her dressing gown. ‘I’ll get sorted out today and start work tomorrow,’ she added to Mark.

‘Of course,’ he said, his expression full of hope for their salvation. Amy quickly looked back to Adaizi.

‘Beautiful gal,’ Adaizi said. Amy stood abruptly and Adaizi caught her hand before she passed. ‘If you have any questions before your birthday…’

‘I’ll ask!’ Amy promised, avoiding Adaizi’s caring eyes. ‘One last thing, though—why can’t anyone help Kate? Can we grab her and keep her somewhere and maybe phone the authorities and say Ethan’s been abandoned so they keep him in a home or something? Surely there must be something we can do?’

Adaizi looked at Mark and he looked down at the floor. ‘Mark, myself, and other Guardians before us have tried to rescue the people he influences. We’ve tried to get him incarcerated, hospitalised, and imprisoned. So far he has killed thirty-six people because of our involvement, and that’s not including the rest. Those thirty-six could have survived and lived on after he died if we hadn’t have gotten involved.’

‘But…’

Mark chimed in. ‘He killed two police officers after they called at their house because someone reported them last week.’

‘What? So they’ve been arrested then?’

‘No. They’ve fled. We’re not even sure of their whereabouts.’

Amy looked at them both and decided there was no point in continuing the discussion. She walked away but, before leaving the living area, she caught Adaizi opening her arms to Mark and he leant into her embrace.

It took only twenty minutes for her family to arrive after she phoned them. Mad-Doris rushed to open the door, but Amy ran to get there first. No sooner had she opened the door, Joan threw her arms around her and Thomas stepped in. Behind them walked her brother Frank with Francesca in hand.

Before anyone spoke, Mad-Doris screamed at Francesca, pointing at her in sheer panic: ‘Yer can’t come in unless yer know I’m maaad!’ she hissed, trying to look as frightening as possible. Frank blew out his chest immediately as if he needed to protect her. ‘Tell her! Tell the brat!’ she continued, aiming the last instruction to Amy.

‘Frankie,’ Amy said, ‘this is Mad-Doris and she’s a little bit mad.’ Amy smiled and winked but Francesca wasn’t amused.

‘Tell
them
I’m mad an’ all!’ she shrieked, pointing her long bony finger at the rest of her shocked family. ‘Tell ‘em!’

‘Okay, okay,’ Frank said, treating her like a mental patient, his face unsympathetic. ‘We know you’re mad!’ Mad-Doris looked at each new face and, seemingly pleased that Francesca was cowering behind Frank, smiled and scurried away.

‘Sorry about that,’ Amy said. ‘She’s alright once you get used to her.’

‘That woman is far from right,’ Frank said. ‘Look up “wrong” in the dictionary and the definition will be her!’

‘Here!’ Joan stated, pulling some jeans out of a large holdall and shoving them into Amy’s hands. ‘And these,’ she added, pulling out a jumper. ‘There’s more but they’re not great. You can use them for scruffs once you buy your own.’

‘I’ll use them for my new job then!’ Amy smiled.

‘What?’ Frank asked, a peeved look on his face. ‘I was hoping you’d come work for me!’

‘No
thanks
!’ she said, shooting him a playful look as she closed the door.

‘Where’s Tom?’ Thomas asked.

‘He’s in the classroom having a lesson with Mark.’ Thomas looked impressed. Amy tried not to show any of her mixed feelings over the matter.

As Amy walked to the classroom, Francesca held onto Frank’s leg, wise to Mad-Doris standing crookedly under the balcony, watching them with her boggling eyes. Joan’s nose had never been higher as she took in the woman’s gall.

Amy opened the classroom door and Mark, chalk in hand, stopped what he was writing on the board. He placed his chalk down on the large desk beside him and walked to great his guests.

‘Tom,’ Amy said, ‘look who’s here to see us.’

He took one look and ran to them. Amy made to walk off, but Joan interrupted.

‘Excuse me, young lady, introduce us to this handsome young man who’s taken you in!’ She looked at Amy like she couldn’t believe she was so ill-mannered. Amy’s stomach turned as she turned back to Mark’s charming face.

‘Mark, this is my mum, dad, Frank and Frankie!’ Amy’s voice was monotone and rushed.

‘Hello,’ Mark said, walking towards her family. ‘It’s lovely to meet you all.’ He held out his hand and Thomas and Frank shook it. Mark then took Joan’s hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it like she was royalty.

Amy rolled her eyes as Joan blushed. ‘You get back to your teachings,’ Amy said, her eyes telling him that she didn’t wish for his pleasantries.

Mark smiled as if Amy was being thoughtful and she closed the door. As Tom let Francesca have a go of his bike in the hallway, David and Mad-Doris chasing her, Amy changed into her new work clothes, made brews and, while they sat and drank them, her family sat and praised Mark.

‘I’m sure this place didn’t exist last time I was on this side of town. I get some of my stock from a factory up the road and not once did I notice this place. I’m sure it was just car parks.’

‘I’ve told you,’ Thomas said, ‘you’re obviously wrong.’

‘Yes, Frank,’ Joan said, ‘we never knew it was here either but it obviously is.’

‘I know what I saw,’ Frank began, ‘or what I didn’t see, so to speak.’

‘Obviously not!’ Thomas added, shaking his head.

Frank looked so confused that Amy made a mental note to question Mark about how long the place had been here. ‘Well it’s a nice place to live,’ Frank observed. ‘I bet you set fire to the house yourself! I know I would if I knew I’d be living here. Well, apart from having to put up with that nutter!’ he added, jerking his thumb toward the hallway.

As Amy gave them a tour of the home, Frank peered out the back bedroom windows, trying to locate a Chinese warehouse he said was called Wing Yip. ‘You should be able to see it from here!’ he said, becoming even more confused. ‘It doesn’t make sense; the walls aren’t
that
high. Why can we see nothing but sky? There are tall buildings all around here.’

‘It’s obvious that the dip is lower than it looks!’ Thomas said, straining to see over the walls himself. The matter was then left but Amy had taken every note of what had been said.

Before leaving, Thomas gave her two hundred pounds and Frank gave her another five hundred. She tried to argue with Frank but he shoved it forcefully in her hand, telling her to hide it fast, for he didn’t want to be seen outdoing his father. She thanked him with an appreciative hug.

As they said their goodbyes at the door, tears welled in her eyes. Amy picked up her niece and gave her a tight hug. Even though she looked like an average four-year-old, she was still a baby compared to Tom. Francesca smiled at Amy as she kissed her and then couldn’t help but giggle at Mad-Doris, who was hopping on one leg, annoying David.

‘Later, mate!’ Frank said, scuffing Tom’s hair.

‘Can I go back to my lesson now, Mum?’ Tom asked with an excited smile on his face. ‘I love having lessons.’

‘Well,’ Amy began with a sigh, ‘we’ve got lots of money to spend on new clothes and toys. I thought you’d like to come to town?’ Tom looked at her for a moment as if trying to work out her feelings. She could see he would rather stay with Mark and, considering her last visit into town she decided it would probably be best if he did. She smiled at him and walked back to the classroom and opened the door.

‘Is it okay if Tom stays here with you while I go to town?’ she asked, almost politely.

‘Of course,’ he said.

‘Thanks.’ She gave Tom a quick kiss and he ran in and sat at the desk facing Mark. ‘Can I have a quick word before I go?’ she added.

Mark walked into the hall and closed the door behind him. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘This place,’ she said. ‘Can’t everyone see it?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘Only people with powers of light, and people in need. And even then, the ones in need can only see it if they are good people.’

‘Then why can my family see it?’

Mark laughed, even though he knew she meant that they weren’t in need, not that she believed they weren’t good. ‘Because you told them and they believed you. If something is believed it is then perceived.’

‘And what does everyone else see?’

He took her hand and the house began to shake and crumble without noise. As it fell away, so did each beautiful thing in the garden and Amy stood in the middle of a car park, a clothing warehouse to her left with high raised flats behind it, a fire station and the huge Chinese warehouse Frank must have meant in front, and old dilapidated buildings to her right.

Like colour had been leached from the area, she couldn’t believe this grey, dusty looking area was here in place of the garden. ‘So this is what’s actually real?’

‘No. Both are as real as each other,’ he said. ‘If it’s a reality to you, then it’s real.’

‘Like two different dimensions?’

‘More like parallel or, more accurately, alternate Earths.’

This time the factories, flats, fire station and warehouse began to shake and fall, as the garden and home rose back into being and replaced them. Amy shook her head. At this moment in time it was all too much to take in. ‘Well, all I know at this point is that it’s nice to know only good people will be coming in,’ she said. ‘You know, with having kids here.’

‘Yes.’

She gazed into his eyes for a moment, wishing she could see what she used to see, then mentally scolded herself for the action before heading out the door. She wanted desperately to forgive him, but the fact that he had lied to her was just too much to bear. He was a Guardian, and to make it worse, she had mistaken his brightness for love. She was so embarrassed, and angry that he had allowed it to go on—as if he had shared the feelings she had for him.

Enjoying her retail therapy, she only came home when the amount of bags she had accumulated was too much for her to manage. Putting all their new clothes away in their wardrobes and drawers made her feel strangely settled. She then set Tom’s room up with a set of felt tips and books and a new CD player, along with the CDs he had lost: all the music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and a female Buddhist singer called Ani Choying Drolma.

By the time she’d finished, she could smell something wonderful being prepared in the kitchen. As she entered, everyone in the home was gathered around the table, a huge pile of crusty rolls on a platter in the centre, waiting for Mary’s homemade leek and potato soup.

Tom was at the side of Mary, embarrassingly offering her assistance, which she kindly allowed. Amy made a note of lecturing him about how Mary may feel.

Dinner was great. The chatter made it easy to avoid eye contact with Mark. After washing the pots with Harold, who, though a very interesting and intelligent man, wore his trilby at
all
times, Amy took Tom to his room. As soon as he walked in, his face lit up.

‘You shouldn’t have!’ he said sincerely. ‘You need the money.’

‘All I
need
is to know you’re happy!’

‘I’ve never been happier,’ he replied. ‘I love it here, Mum! I love having a school to go to and I also feel
safe
…you know…because I’m near Mark.’ His words stung, but she smiled and hugged him tight.

Amy pulled out a rubber ball for David and as he took it, his tail wagged.

‘David appreciates his replacement,’ Tom said. ‘And we both appreciate you!’ he added, knowing she needed some comfort of her own.

CHAPTER 18

THE OPENING

It didn’t take long for Amy to get into a routine. She made a weekly rota to make sure she cleaned every part of the home. The house was so large that it took her into Saturdays, which helped her avoid the soup kitchen. She dusted and vacuumed the empty bedrooms each week for the strangers who needed accommodation; some stayed for weeks, some just a night or two.

There was nothing she couldn’t manage on her rota except the classroom. With thirty desks and chairs, two double windows and a back door, walls stacked high with oak shelves, containing every book imaginable, she had no chance. Mark reassured her no cleaner had
ever
done them, but that’s how Tom gained his new job.

Tom worked an hour a day after lessons, working from one side of the shelves to the other, even if it took a month, only to start again. With Mark paying him a wage, Tom couldn’t have been happier.

‘I love the oak shelves and the scent from the old books,’ Tom said, balancing on the ladder attached to the shelves, sniffing one of the books.

‘Be careful,’ Amy warned.

‘I can see the tree house from here!’ he said, craning his neck to look outside. Amy turned to see the ladder and safety net Mark had added to the tree for Tom’s sake and smiled, then sighed.

To see Tom living happily, as if inside his own paradise, made it hard for her to be upset. Everyone in the home was happy. She was careful not to show her feelings about Mark whenever anyone was around but when they were alone, however, she made it clear he shouldn’t speak to her. She began to hate herself for the treatment she instilled upon him under his own roof.

The weeks seemed to flow by but her feelings remained. She just couldn’t get over the loss of what she thought she had with Mark. No matter how nice he was, she still felt cheated by him. Every time she looked at him, another piece of her heart broke.

‘What’s wrong?’ Jack asked one day in late June. Amy looked surprised. She thought she’d been doing a great job of covering her depression. ‘Don’t you like it here?’ he added.

‘Yes,’ she said truthfully; it was the owner, not the home she didn’t like.

‘Then what’s your problem?’ he asked.

His question made her take note of herself. When she took a look at her life, she saw that she was well off. She had more money than she did before because she had no rent, bills or even as much shopping to pay for, and she had a free private tutor for Tom, who couldn’t have been happier or safer. One thing was certain: he was never bored, which was important for someone with his intelligence.

Mark, Winston and Jack made up for any fatherly figure Tom ever needed. Even Mad-Doris was okay. Upon realisation she was mad, the majority of her hyperactivity seemed to fade. Tom was at the beck and call of George and Harold. It wasn’t often anyone got a smile out of George, he was always moaning about anything he could and arguing any subject with Harold so Tom thought it was an honour that he was the only one who could please him.

The job, Tom’s happiness, the house itself, and all its occupants were, she hated to admit, great; it was her that wasn’t.

The night before her birthday, Amy heard a knock on her bedroom door. She placed her book face down on her bedside table and walked barefooted to answer it. As she opened the door, her face dropped.

‘May I speak with you for a few minutes please?’ Mark asked with a solemn expression. She took a deep breath and opened her door. ‘Thank you,’ he said.

‘Make it quick,’ she said, hating her own tone.