The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series (4 page)

“They need to let you go.”

Alyssa turned sharply, and standing next to her was Test’s mother, Maggie Davis. She looked at her in silence with a painful grimace on her face.

“It can’t be how you want it to be, Alyssa,” said Maggie.

Alyssa looked back to the house. “How do I want it to be, Maggie?”

The elder spirit placed her arm around Alyssa and spoke lovingly. “
You’re thinking that you can walk in there, make your presence know
n
, and all will be fine. Am I right?”

Alyssa’s gaze remained locked on the house as she shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s okay to let them know that you’re okay, but you can’t pretend that things can be anything like they were before.”

“Why?” asked Alyssa. “I lived in their world and had to live with spirits coming to me every day.”

Patting Alyssa’s back, Maggie replied. “And how did that make you feel most of the time?”

Alyssa’s lip began to quiver. “It’s not fair.”

Maggie stepped in front of the girl and placed her hands on her shoulders. “There’s nothing fair in life or death, Alyssa. It’s something that comes to each of us, and something that each of us have to come to terms with. The choices we make in death, just as they do in life, affect more than just ourselves. Choosing to subject your family to something that very few in their world could possibly understand seems a little selfish. Choosing to let your family grieve and then move on with the rest of their lives—well, you have to decide, honey.”

With tear filled eyes, Alyssa lifted her sight to Maggie’s smiling face. A quick reflection on the past
months
choices
suddenly allowed regret to find her. “I should never have…”

“Don’t,” replied Maggie hold
ing
a finger to Alyssa’s lips. “Those words never have, nor will they ever, change anything. Now, I may be biased because you are the love of my son, but I think that your actions and choices have been less selfish than most anyone I’ve ever met.” As Alyssa rolled her eyes, Maggie lifted her chin with a finger. “You helped save my son’s life, and at the most extreme of costs.”
The emotion began to surface as her voice wavered slightly
. “My only fear is that you will resent him for it.”

Taking Maggie into her arms, Alyssa replied through a gentle sob. “I love your son, and there is nothing in this world or any other that could make me regret saving him.” She pulled away and then continued. “I do have regrets,” she said looking to the house, “and I don’t know what the future holds for any of us. The one thing I do know,” she said with a smile creeping onto her lips, “is that I’m ready to go home.”

Maggie returned her smile and asked
in
a silly tone. “Oh
? A
nd where would that be, dear?”

“Wherever Test is.”

“May I come with you?” asked Maggie.

Alyssa took Maggie’s hand in hers as she took one last look at her Aunt and Uncle’s house. In a gentle, yet pained whisper, she replied. “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER 4

The mid-day sun was hidden in the sky by a thick blanket of clouds as Test exited the house. He’d spent the morning thinking of his conversation with Lauren, unable to shake the reality of her words. He’d taken a long hot shower in an attempt to relax, but nothing was going to shake the worry from his mind.

He looked around the house, amazed at how much it looked like the area
where
he had helped to build cabins in while working for Alyssa’s uncle, Enrique. He thought of Enrique and his wife, Julie. He wondered how they were managing
after
Alyssa’s passing. He then wondered if Alyssa had made contact with them, and if so, how
things were going. One thing h
e
was certain of
;
he wouldn’t be welcome.
If h
e felt responsible for Alyssa’s death, surely Enrique and Julie felt the same.

He wondered about James, the friend that he failed. The last he’d seen him, he
’d
been
walking away, broken both in body and spirit. The image of James disappearing around the bend in the mountain road would haunt him forever.

Without realizing it, he had unconsciously walked twenty or so feet from the back of the house and found himself standing on the edge of a dense tree line.
As he took a step forward, he felt an instant and constricting pressure on his chest. With arms lifted in the air, he struggled for breath
.
A
nd then he heard Lauren’s voice.

“As strong as you think you are, you are far from ready.”

Test tried to turn his head, but the pressure on his chest increased
,
causing his head to roll back.

“They could take you any time they want to,” whispered Lauren in his ear.
“
You’d never even know they were here. The only thing that saves you is the fact that I have you hidden.”

Just as consciousness was about to leave Test, Lauren released her grip. Collapsing to the ground, he laid on his side, sucking in the cool
,
moist
Washington
air. He glanced up to Lauren who stood over him with a stern look on her face, her arms folded across her chest in a defiant manner. Test clenched his fists and he could feel the energy within begging to be set free. With clenched teeth, he spoke, though it sounded as much like a growl as it did words. “You bitch.”

Throwing his left palm towards her, he released a strong pulse, but in the instant he felt it leave his body, Lauren disappeared into thin air. He pushed himself to his knees and scanned the area where she had stood a moment before.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the compression on his chest returned and he felt himself thrust forward to the ground. This time, Lauren released him quickly.

“I may be a bitch,” she spewed angrily, “but I’m the bitch that
’s
going to save your life!”

Test rolled over to see her standing in the ready, arms raised slightly away from her sides and her palms facing him. The red glow from her torso and palms quickly faded, leaving only the blue to be faintly visible in the daylight.

Lauren to
ok
a step towards him and continued to scold. “Had I been a Reaper, you’d be dead right now.” She stared into his angry
, yet
blank
,
stare. “Does that even register with you?” she asked.

Test picked himself up and stood in front of her, his anger sending bright red pulses of light streaming down his arms and into his palms. Pointing to him, Lauren grinned devilishly, “You better turn that shit off. Why don’t you just call Isaac and tell him where we are?”

Taking deep breaths, Test glared at Lauren. She raised her palms and eyebrows as if to say “well?” and then began to tap her foot on the damp forest floor.

Forced to trust, though hesitant to do it, he closed his eyes and focused on the sounds of the forest. Slowly the red light within faded and, after a moment, the blue did the same. When he opened his eyes, he found that Lauren was standing closer to him than before.

“I’m sorry if my way upset
s
you,” said Lauren, her tone suddenly shifting to one of concern, “but it’s the only way I know.”

Unable to look her in the eyes, Test stared over her. “And the whole point of that was?” he asked snidely.

Lauren’s face quickly shifted expressions once again. “You don’t get it, do you?” She turned from him and walked a couple of steps away. With her back to him, she continued. “You don’t know anything. You know that you’re a Shadow; you know you have power; but you are just a child learning to walk.” She turned back to him. “There are things that you must learn if you are to survive.” Lauren dropped her head and huffed. “Hell, even if you decide to learn, I couldn’t promise you that you’d live much longer
anyway
.”

Confused and frustrated, Test finally spoke. “
Lauren, I get it. I get that you’re trying to help me.
I get that I’
m young and that
I don’t know everything.
” He took a step towards her. “
What I don’t get is why me?
I still don’t understand why I’m so important to the Reapers.”

Softened once more, Lauren replied. “It’s because you are rare
. Y
our gifts came to you at such a young age. There has only been one other instance of that happening, and he became the most powerful Shadow ever born.”

Test instantly knew who she was speaking of. “Isaac?” he replied.

Lauren nodded her head. “Isaac has tasked his soldiers with either converting you, of which they failed, or to destroy you before your powers
fully
matured. I guarantee that they are
hell-bent and
committed to carrying out his wishes.”

For an instant Test felt a touch of pride creep in. “So he’s—scared of me?” he replied with a smirk.

Lauren grinned back. “In a manner of speaking, yes, but right now you wouldn’t stand a chance should Isaac himself decide to come for you.”

With the animosity towards Lauren fading, he suddenly understood what he had to do. No matter how bi-polar or bitchy Lauren was, he needed her.

Test stood tall and pushed his
hands into the front pockets of
his jeans. “Tell me what to do,” he stated
simply
. “I’m ready to learn.”

With a smile, but no reply, a quick burst of white light came from Lauren’s chest and her body began to look like
the
blur of static on a television screen until, after a few seconds, her image melted with that of the trees behind her.

Test looked all around him, feeling like he was suddenly thrust into a game of hide and seek. His aching ribs told him that this game was unlike any that he
’d
played as a child
,
and
there were
more than likely going to be some consequences come with it
. As he took his first step, he thought he saw a shad
ow out of the corner of his eye
and turned towards it, his breath trapped in his lungs
as he
wait
ed
for Lauren’s attack. It didn’t come. He walked further into the woods, stepping over debris and listening intently over the sound of his feet against the forest floor. He paused for a moment, leaning a hand on a tree that stood beside him. Suddenly, from behind, the snap of a large timber echoed through the trees and he turned just in time to watch a large spruce miss him by a fraction of a yard.

Instinctively, he jumped backward. As he did, another spruce fe
l
l behind him, shaking the earth beneath his feet.

“Are you trying to fucking kill me?” he shouted into the damp morning air.

In a blink Lauren appeared beside him. “No,” she said calmly, “but Isaac no doubt
,
will.”

The two of them stared at each other for a tense moment.

“You have to stop looking with your eyes
,” said Lauren.
“
You are a being of energy. Granted, so are humans, but you and I are different. Everything has energy, a force.”

Test, still angry, cut her off and spoke snidely. “What, are you going to start quoting old science fiction movies?”

“Shut up,” Lauren replied curtly, but with a smile. “Close your eyes.”

Test stared at her as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Close them,” Lauren
commanded
once more.

Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and awaited her instruction.

“What do you feel?” she asked.

With a deep sigh, he tried to focus, but couldn’t feel anything different than he ever had. “It’s cold and…”

Before he could finish something slammed into his chest and he felt himself hurl through the air. He landed with his back hitting the first fallen spruce and opened his eyes to see Lauren standing over him.

“Did you feel that?” shouted Lauren. “Do you want to die? Is that it?” Any hint of levity had been erased from Lauren’s face. “Stand up,” she commanded.

Test’s back ached, and as he righted himself, he stood face to face with her.

“Close your eyes,” she barked.

Without hesitation this time, Test did as he was told.

“Now, tell me what you feel?”

Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, Test turned his head from side to side, the vertebrae in his neck cracking loudly. He strained to feel something, anything other than what was the reality of the place he stood.

“I’m sorry. I can’t—I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.” There was no answer. “Lauren?” he asked, but there was still no answer. He slowly opened his eyes to see that she no longer stood before him. From an unseen location, he heard her voice through the trees.