have to hide it."
The voice said, echoing all around me. "You must
hide them and protect them, do you understand." It said.
"Why?" I called out. "Do you understand?" The voice
repeated. "Yes, but..." I began to say, but then I felt water
surrounded me, and started to build around me until I was floating.
"I'm scared." I said out loud. "Don't be Mia, you are safe." The
voice assured me. "What's happening?" I asked. "You will wake
up and hide the scrolls." The voice said.
Suddenly I felt like something pulled on my leg dragging me
down into the cold, frozen water. I started struggling to breath and
with each breath I felt water entering into my lungs. I struggled to
get loose from whatever pulled on my leg.
The feeling of
drowning and dieing began to feel real; scaring me to the core.
Soon after I could feel
a shooting pain on my head.
"Ouch" I said, as I sat up from the floor of the tent. "What the
hell." I said, quietly rubbing my head. I guess I must have been
dreaming and I fell off the bed; I thought to myself as I sat on the
floor next to the bed. Tucker laid still in his bed. I stuck my hand
under my pillow and found the golden canister, and just looked at
it for a while.
Remembering what I was told in my dream as I slept; I felt
uneasy.
I stood up and put it back in the small wooden box that
grandma took it out of. No one is gonna find this; I thought as I
looked back at Tucker who still laid asleep.
I kept in mind that the
voice in my dream, said that he would try to steal it; which made
me think that it was talking about Tucker.
Why would he try to
steal it?
I stood there wondering to myself.
The air in the tent was very cold, it felt like the heat of the
day's sun was gone. I lifted the door to the tent and saw that it was
night.
The fire burned very big and very brightly. Steve and Jim
was already sitting at the fire with uncle Tom, in full conversation.
Jon was standing with grandma off to the side talking very quietly.
I covered myself with a small fur coat that was on the table
inside the tent and went out. "Had a nice nap?" Uncle Tom said;
looking at me cutting his conversation with Steve and Jim short.
"Yeah, I guess." I said, with a worried smile. The air was really
cold and the fire didn't really seem to make it any warmer.
"Aaahhh." We heard a scream coming from my tent. We all
ran in to see what was going on. Tucker was kicking and
screaming as if he was fighting with something; but nothing was
there. Grandma ran over to Tucker and grabbed his thrashing
arms; grandpa and uncle Tom grabbed on to his legs. "Tucker;
Tucker, wake up; Tucker." Grandma called out to him.
Tucker jumped straight up in a cold sweat. "Grandma. I had a
dream." He said, as she hugged him. "I know, I know. It's alright
we're all here." She said, looking over at all of us that stood there
shocked. "Go on you four, he's fine." Uncle Tom said nodding his
head toward the door.
We all complied and left the tent. We quietly waited by the fire
until finally grandpa came out. "Is he alright?" Jon asked sincerely.
"Oh yeah; he's fine, a little shaken up but fine." He said quickly
heading toward the creek. Jon walked over and stood behind of
me, and squeezed my shoulders with his warm hands, comforting
my nerves. I leaned back into him and closed my eyes; as started
to feel warm and safe.
"You know; I had a weird dream too." I said, opening my eyes
and with my head tilted up, looking up at Jon. "But you didn't wake
up screaming." He said, with his soft smile. "No, but I did bump my
head when I fell out of bed." I said with a laugh. He rubbed my
head and found the small bump, on the back of it. "I think you'll
live." He smiled.
"Oh look, love birds." Uncle Tom teased as he stepped out of
the tent. "Come guys don't just sit there; practice." He demanded.
"What; here?" Steve said, with a raised brow.
"Why not; go for it,
it seems, Tucker won't be able to join us, so we'll pick it up
tomorrow." He said, standing there with his hands on his hips.
"Rock boy, you go over there and start. You two over there
and there." He instructed all three guys. They reluctantly obliged
and set off into their own corners. Steve started to make small
fireballs between the palms of his hands, and threw them at the
creek; where Jim put them out by making his own small balls of
water. Smoke filled the air near Steve and Jim as they played
around throwing fireballs and water over the creek.
Jon pulled small round balls of compacted dirt and rocks and
threw them at the tree trunks, making the trees shake. Uncle Tom
came over and sat next to me in front the warm fire. "Well Mia did
you learn anything today?" He asked sarcastically. "Well, at least I
understand a lot, but no grandma didn't teach me anything if that's
what you mean." I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Ha, I thought so." He laughed out loud. "I'll show you some
stuff." He smiled.
"Ok; Mia, try this." He began, as we stood
across from each other in front of the fire. "Try to picture yourself
holding this fire.
Picture it in your hands; feel the heat coming
from it; feel the weight of it, being in your hands. Can you see it,
can you feel it." He asked looking at me through the flickering
flames.
"Um." I said looking at him weirdly. "I'm serious Mia, close
your eyes.
Can you feel the fire?" He asked loudly rather
annoyed. "Yes." I replied. "Ok, now picture that you are holding
that flames in your hands. Put your hands up like your holding it."
He instructed. I did as I was told and put my hands up in front of
me putting them into a cupping position.
"Alright, now picture it being in your hands. Look at it, feel it,
see it there. Can you see it." He asked. "Yes." I replied picturing
the fire in the palms of my hands with it's flames covering my
fingers. "Ok, now can you feel how heavy it is?" He continued.
I
could actually feel the heat of the fire in my palms; only it didn't
burn; I could feel the weight of the fire that, in my hands.
"Yes." I
replied.
"Ha, ha, ha; alright now that's what I'm talking about." He
laughed.
I opened my eyes and was stunned to see that I was
holding a small ball of fire, just like the one that Steve was
throwing into the creek. "Now, feel that fire grow in your hands,
getting heavier and heavier." He instructed. As I did, I felt the
flames growing in my hands and as I felt it, it was.
The flames grew larger and larger, but the heat stayed the
same, it was warm, and as the flames grew so did the weight.
Soon it felt like I was about to drop it.
"It's too heavy." I said
looking at him. "Well then distribute the weight and separate your
hands to your sides, hold the flames in each palm.
I separated my palms the flames grew in front of me from one
palm to the other; but now the weight of it was manageable. "Now
feel it burn brighter and hotter." He said out loud. As I did what I
was told; I felt it grow and burn hotter and brighter. Soon the
flames that rippled red and orange began to turn blue and white;
as the air around the camp grew warmer.
As the energy that
came from the fire began to grow it blew my hair back; pushing an
invisible field of energy around me, that grew and grew with every
flame that stretched higher and brighter.
"Good; now feel that fire slowly burn out, feel it disappearing
into your hands." He instructed. I felt the energy building even
more, getting stronger and stronger, as the flames also grew
getting larger and larger. "Mia, don't lose control. Feel it grow
smaller." He yelled.
I did as I was told and I pictured the flames
getting smaller, and as I did the flames began to subside, and
slowly it got smaller and smaller until finally it wasn't there
anymore.
"Self control is very important Mia. No self control is
dangerous, and I think you got that from your mothers side."
He
laughed. "Thomas." I heard grandma scold, suddenly appearing
behind of me.
"Sorry Ma." He said, with a smirk. "Thomas, the
time is soon.
We need the elder's to come, I don't think we have
the full three days." She said with a very worried tone of voice.
Every wrinkle on her face seemed to speak of weariness.
"Grandma." I said walking over to her. "Mia dear you will have to
sleep with me tonight. All of you go to bed, you can continue in the
morning." She said looking over at everyone.
Everyone stopped
what they were doing and just looked at her.
As she walked
away, so did they.
Grandma and I went into the tent; as Jon and I exchanged
glances. "Where's grandpa?" I asked. "He's with your brother for
tonight." She said, still with her worried tone of voice. "Mia did you
show your brother the scrolls?" She asked as I took notice of a
bulge under her heavy jacket. "Yes I did. I just wanted him to know
about it, we looked at it together. Why? You didn't tell me that I
couldn't."
I pleaded. "Don't worry. it'll be fine, but I had to ask if he
seen the scrolls."
She said taking golden canister out from under
her jacket.
"Mia, these are only for your eyes and your eyes alone, no
one I mean no one can see them. Ok; do you understand." She
insisted, with disappointment in her voice. "Yes, grandma I'm sorry
I didn't know." I replied. "So I'll hide them and bring them to you
when you'll need them, which I fear may be sooner than later."
She said, staring at the intricate designs, running her fingers over
the different shapes that surrounded the entire container.
"Lay down and go to bed. We'll talk more tomorrow." She said
pulling the blanket off the bed. I got in quickly, as she threw the
covers over me. “Grandma, I'm sorry.”
I said softly.
“It's alright
Mia.”
She replied, as she sat at the small table.
I stayed awake
for a short while watching her stare at the container; touching
every detail that surrounded it until I fell asleep.
7 EVIL IS NEAR
I woke the next morning to a chilling air blowing hard through
the tent door. The wind that blew in was so cold and so strong. I
looked around and my grandmother wasn't in the tent. I peeked
out of the tent and found grandpa and Tucker swirling wind back
and forth to each other. The wind was freezing cold and so strong.
"Gosh, it's freezing." I said out loud in hopes that they would
stop, but they didn't and just kept on going. I was glad to see
Tucker was alright even if he was freezing everyone to death. I put
on the small blanket that I had the night before, and went outside.
There was no fire burning this morning, but by the way they were
playing around I think they most likely peeled it. I thought to
myself.
"Hey guys having fun." I said, stepping cautiously next to
Tucker. "Hey; yeah grandpa wanted to give me some lessons. So;
I heard you made fire last night." He said, calming the winds that
surrounded him. "Yeah; kind of I guess, uncle Tom was trying to
show me some stuff. It felt different." I said, looking at my palms
remembering what happened last night.
"Ok; Tuck, I need to do some chores, so lets pick this up
again later alright." Grandpa said with a smile, as he walked
toward a pile of wood that sat beside the small fire he used for
cooking. We watched him pick up one log after another placing
them in small stacks in the little pit. Grandpa was old, he wasn't so
young anymore. His frail body took a while to pick up the wood
and stack them, because he walked with a slight hunch due to old
back problems.
"Grandpa, let me do it." Tucker said hurrying over toward him.
Tucker picked up the logs and placed them in perfect small stacks
first into the pit, then beside it; to make it easier for him to grab
later. "Awe man, we put the fire out, wait I need to get a match."
Grandpa said with a smile. I walked over and stood next to
Tucker.
"Wait grandpa." I said, looking at the small pile of wood. "Let
me try something." I continued, as I closed my eyes and did the
