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Everyone patiently waited for me to continue. I swallowed again, attempting to open my throat that was closing from dryness. My hands were shaking, so I folded them in between my knees. I couldn’t bear to raise my eyes to meet anyone’s fearful faces, so I instead focused on talking to the floor. “You guys were all dead. Everyone was. There was a sea of bodies and you were among them. It felt so real.” I searched inside myself and found courage, raising my eyes to meet Nia’s. She was frowning in sympathy and nodded for me to continue. “It was real. There was smoke and buildings were destroyed. Everything was so quiet. I was the only one left standing.”
“Was this before you came here tonight?” Kris asked, addressing me without malice in his tone for the first time in well...ever. I nodded and he turned back to Grandpa. “Something disrupted her ability to come back to Dia. She awoke in the Mince field.”
“How did you know I was in the field, Kris?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. His eyes mirrored mine, but he remained silent. My frown deepened. “Have you been following me?”
“I asked him to,” Grandpa said, reaching for my hand. “All of you need protection.”
“How can he protect us?” I snapped. “He can’t follow us around twenty-four-seven!”
“Well...we have others in place who have been watching out for you.” I stared at Grandpa, mouth open.
Nia stepped in. “So you have spies that have been keeping tabs on us without telling us?!”
Grandpa slumped back in his seat. “I didn’t want to worry you and so far nothing has happened to you since Jarem made his move at Giza.”
“And now?,” Nia pressed.
“Now with the Walkers being targeted, the Council following you, and Kay’s vision, it’s time that you know.”
Nia glared. “Who’s been following us?”
“There are creatures and people here who know the true history of Turgor. They do not stand with the Council. And they are committed to making sure you two can carry out the legend.”
“But who are they?” Nia pressed.
“You’ll meet them soon enough,” Grandpa said before turning his attention back to me.
I spoke first. “What do you think it means? My vision?”
“I think it’s a warning of some sort.”
“From whom?”
“I’m not sure. But given what’s been happening, I think we better pay attention.”
“And me waking up in the Mince field?”
Grandpa pinched the bridge of his nose and thought for a few seconds before speaking. “Someone who has enough power to alter your transporting through dimensions has to be behind that.”
“Who could be that powerful?” I asked, the sense of dread from earlier returning. “The Senior Council?”
Nia shook her head. “I don’t think they have that type of power.”
“Then who?”
Grandpa cleared his throat but said nothing and Nia looked at the floor. Helplessly, I turned to Rena, who shrugged.
“Oh, come on, people!” I said. “No one knows?”
“There’s no documentation of this happening before,” Grandpa admitted. “Every non-native has their own unique way of transporting. To have someone disrupt yours...well, it may not have precedent.”
I swallowed and pondered what he’d said. “So... Someone—and we’re not sure who—is strong enough to alter where I wake up...and we’re not sure how.”
Nia, Grandpa, and Rena all nodded. Kris remained stony. I felt sick to my stomach.
“If that being is so powerful, what’s to stop them from killing me?” I asked.
Grandpa grabbed my hand and squeezed. “The answer to that is precisely why you need to be watched and why Dia can no longer stay in one place.”
I leaned back on the couch. “What about Rena? She and her mom can’t hide in Dia all day.”
“They’re being protected by our allies as well.” Grandpa pulled me to my feet and in for a hug before doing the same to Nia and Rena. “Girls, you didn’t ask for this. No one in their right mind would. But it is happening. You have incredible power and I imagine you’ve only scratched the surface. You have the power to change the course of Turgor and that makes the Council very nervous. This is your path. Don’t fight it.” He kissed Nia on the forehead. “Try to get some sleep; it’s late. Remember, continue with your normal activities as usual. We don’t want to arouse suspicion.”
We all nodded and Grandpa gave a thin smile before patting Dia’s door frame affectionately and leaving for the night.
Rena and Nia stood at the same time and Nia gave me a small smile. “Don’t worry, sis,” she said. “It’ll be OK.”
“Do you really believe that?” I asked them.
Rena spoke up. “Yes, I do. It has to be. It’s been foretold.”
“I don’t really believe in the legend.” I huffed and crossed my arms. Kris snorted behind me, but I ignored him. “I mean, Grandpa may be Turgor’s historian, but even he didn’t sound one hundred percent clear on the facts when we found them out.” My gaze shifted to the cackling fire and I stared for a few moments, my mind racing. Rena sighed.
“Look, I don’t like it either, you know?” she said. “I didn’t ask to be a part of this any more than you did. But I’m glad that I am. If we can change history for the better, then I want to be a part of that.”
“Yeah, but most Turgorians don’t seem to mind the status quo of their planet right now,” Nia pointed out. I nodded in agreement. “Who are we to come along and change it?”
“Mom seems to think that the KaKonians are going to ramp up their attacks,” Rena said. “Her sources on the police force tell her when the KaKonians do attack, the death toll will quickly rise. Most Turgorians don’t know that yet. And the ones who do—”
“Probably don’t want that information to get out.” Nia sighed, then ran her hands through her brown hair. “This is all so complicated. But still, I have a hard time believing that the entire Senior Council is bad. I’ve seen them do so much good!”
“Maybe Lynch was just a bad apple in a bushel of good ones,” I suggested, using one of my grandmother’s favorite metaphors. “Everyone seems to treat us well when we’re at detention.”
“Yeah, but if they’re so good, why do they fear you?” Rena asked. “Shouldn’t they welcome you with open arms?”
Nia shrugged. “They’re the government,” she pointed out. She made a few sigils in the air with her finger, then waited as a jacket materialized before slipping it on. “Any government is going to want to control power in their territory. That doesn’t make them evil. It’s basic politics.”
“I don’t know...” Rena began, but Nia cut her off.
“Look, I still believe in the basic goodness of Turgor and its government. And until I see otherwise, I’m not in the mood to argue.”
Rena and I both held our tongues. There was no talking Nia out of something once she had a firm opinion on it. And being a part of the Senior Council had been her dream for years, ever since she’d arrived on Turgor. She was one of the Council’s favored, being repeatedly named Creator of the Year for her innovative creations, and she was the envy of other Creators and Awakeners alike. Her dedication to the Turgorian government ran deep.
I stifled a yawn, but Rena noticed and began to make her way to the door. Nia pecked me on the cheek before following Rena out, leaving me with a surly Death Walker lounging in my chair. I turned wearily to him and forced a smile.
Kris stood to leave, but I held up my hand to stop him. “You don’t have to go, Kris,” I began, leveling my gaze at him. His green eyes were hard as he waited for me to continue. “Please, stay with me. Rena’s gone now that Jala is back home and I could use the company.”
Kris held my gaze with a piercing stare of his own. “I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not pity, it’s practical. You have to watch over me—why not be here and make it easy?”
Kris barked out a harsh laugh. “Nothing about this is easy.” He pushed past me and headed towards the door. Dia swung it open for him quietly. Her displeasure with Kris radiated in the air, making my skin prickle. Either Kris didn’t notice or he was choosing to ignore it, but he didn’t break his stride. Before he walked out, he turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. “Try to stay out of trouble. I have more important things to do at the moment than to keep saving your butt.” He left, the air behind him rife with his disapproval.
Tears sprung to the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let him make me cry. Instead, I grabbed the fireplace poker and stoked the dancing fire before plopping back down on the couch. I had class in a few hours, but my racing mind wouldn’t let me sleep. The vision I’d had wafted through my mind and I shuddered, jabbing at the fire again. Who could the warning be from? Why had it been sent to me? Didn’t they know Nia was far more powerful? I longed for the days immediately following my arrival on Turgor, which had been fun and adventurous.
Turgor was supposed to be an escape from my life on Earth. My parents had been killed when Nia and I had been very small, leaving us to be raised by Grandpa and our grandmother. Once Grandpa was assigned to be the chief historian on Turgor, he slipped into a coma on Earth and Grandma had essentially become a single parent. My introverted nature had led me to be a loner in school, whereas Nia had channeled her energy into always being in the limelight. On Turgor, I felt different. I felt calmer and happier, interested in trying out new things. My chest tightened as I realized that I was now bound by some stupid legend most of the Turgorians had never even heard of. And the ones who had were now trying to kill me. My life on Turgor would never be the same.
The sun was beginning to come up and I realized how tired I was. I popped open my DiGi and studied my week’s class schedule for the umpteenth time:
January 15- 10:00 p.m. Earth Time, 11:00 a.m. Turgor Time
Meeting with Awakener Group Sector 3902B New Assignments
January 17- 10:00 p.m. Earth Time, 11:00 a.m. Turgor Time
Meeting with Awakener Group Sector 3902B Evrode Training
January 21- 10:00 p.m.. Earth Time, 11:00 a.m. Turgor Time
Meeting with Awakener Group Sector 3902B Supervised Field Work
Rena and I had moved up to Level 2 in our Awakener group after we had successfully woken Kris up (although, technically, he had already been awake and all Kris and I had done was argue when we’d found him). But Rowena, our group sector leader, didn’t know that I had really given Kris life again. To cover, the Death Walker league had confirmed that another Walker named Larius had been the one we had Awakened. No one in our group knew what had really gone on that night. But the assignment of Awakening a Death Walker was unusual for first-level Awakeners and our pretend success with Larius had made us something of celebrities amongst the other first years. But we hadn’t been awarded any assignments since then, instead focusing on honing our skills under Rowena’s watch.
My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since I’d arrived. Sighing, I pushed to my feet and trudged into the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal. Turgorian food had yet to grow on me. As I plopped back down on the couch in the living room, bowl in hand, I grabbed the newspaper Kris had left behind and studied the first page before flipping to the community section. I stopped chewing and dropped my spoon as I realized I knew the face that was staring back at me.