Chapter 9

“Er,” was all Paden managed to say before crossing his arms across his chest and clamping his lips shut. Ree raised a hand to her lips to hide her smile, but Weylin was not so discreet. He pointed at Paden and gave a loud whoop of laughter, making Paden shift his feet and grumble under his breath.

“Can you imagine? Paden, the super immortal?” Weylin chuckled. Everyone else was grinning, but they were all looking at Paden with interest, while he was obviously trying to ignore the stares. Ree felt a little relieved at not being the only one that was different from the others. So far she felt like everything was based on her, dependent on her, and yet she was the one that was human. The only one that could not heal quickly, that was still fragile like a human. She looked down at her hands lying in her lap. They seemed just like hands to her. Not delicate, but certainly no super powers either. Just like the hands millions of other people used every day: farmers, artisans, lawyers, doctors, and grocery clerks. Yet her hands had been surrounded by green power. They had shot light at monsters and changed the lives of her friends forever.

Her stomach began to churn, and she tried to redirect her thoughts. She stood up and stretched. Her shoulders were tense, and she had a slight headache building behind her eyes. She needed to move and to think about anything other than immortals. Otherwise she was going to be sick in front of everyone.

Sophie seemed to understand. “Why don't I give you the tour, Ree? Let you see the house and get some food. It should be daybreak in a few hours. Then you will all be able to go back to the mainland and get your things. I’ve readied rooms for everyone.”

“Whoa, readied rooms? Are you saying  we have to stay here?” Weylin asked, incredulous.

“If you want to learn how to control your powers, then yes.” Diakos walked to the door and motioned for them to follow her.

“We have lives. Family, school, and friends. We can't just disappear,” Paden said irritably.

“I can help with the parents and the school, to some extent. Tell your friends you have a job, tell them you're sick.  Tell them whatever you have to, but make sure you are back here on this island before nightfall. You may be immortal, but if you are injured too severely you can die. You have much to learn if you want to survive – if you want the planet to survive.”  She said nothing else on the matter, just led the others to large, well-appointed rooms. Ree was hard-pressed to not be amazed at the opulence of the home.  It seemed to go on forever. Dark wood floors ran through the house. Arches and pillars formed the entryway into every room. There was even a servants’ wing. Though she didn't see any servants, she knew someone must take care of this large estate.

Finally, Sophie led her into a huge kitchen. Along the back wall, there was an eight-burner stove and stainless steel appliances. All of the woodwork, including the large center island, was beautiful dark wood that seemed to almost glow. Sophie walked over to a large double cabinet and opened the door to reveal an industrial-sized refrigerator and freezer. She grabbed a pint of ice cream and smiled at Ree sheepishly.

“My guilty pleasure.” She motioned for Ree to take a closer peek into the fridge. “What would you like?”

There were a lot of things to choose from, but she went for the basic sandwich. She grabbed some turkey and cheese, then dug around for some mayonnaise. Sophie pointed at some bread on a rack in the corner and Ree grabbed the pumpernickel. After throwing the ingredients together, she sat down on a stool across from her boss and took a large bite. She ate for a few minutes in silence. Glad to be filling her stomach, which had become almost unbearably empty as she had toured the house, she finally started to feel a hesitant sense of calm. Sophie got up and went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. She slid one over to Ree, who smiled in thanks.

“So. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions.” Sophie scooped more chunky chocolate ice cream onto her spoon.

“Yeah. That may be the understatement of the year.” Ree spoke around a mouthful of turkey and cheese. “More like a million questions. So many questions you may not ever be able to answer all of them.”

Sophie sighed. “Shoot.”

Something in her expression triggered a different set of questions in Ree. Unsure of where to even begin, she went with the one at the front of her mind. “How many times have you done this?” She gestured between them. “Sat across from someone and explained the most unlikely, unrealistic story to ever be told?”

The older woman raised an eyebrow in amusement. “That’s where you want to start? If that is what you want, then . . . four times. Four times, including you.”

Ree pursed her lips. “And how many battles have been fought? How many have we won?”

Sophie’s expression became a little more serious. “From what I am led to believe, there have been exactly one hundred battles. One hundred Alastrianas before you.”  She set her spoon down and looked  Ree directly in the eyes. “And out of those one hundred battles, we have won exactly half.”

The turkey sandwich seemed to stick in her throat, so Ree took a gulp of water. “And what was the set number of battles agreed upon?”

“One hundred and one.” Her voice was completely deadpan, and Sophie sat very still, waiting for Ree’s reaction.

The room spun for a moment as Ree considered exactly what that meant for her friends and herself. She shoved the plate away from her as her stomach lurched. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she tried to keep it together. Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, she told herself. It didn’t work. She ran to the sink and lost everything she had just eaten. Once the dry heaves stopped, she ran the water to clean up and splashed her face. She stood there bracing herself over the sink and took several deep, unsteady breaths.

Sophie said nothing as Ree reined in her emotions, she simply watched her patiently and ate her ice cream. Once Ree was certain she wouldn't be sick anymore, she went back to her stool and took a sip of water.

“So.” Her voice was hoarse and wavered a little. Ree took another sip of water before continuing. “We're the tie-breaker. It's been this close all along. We're balanced on the edge of becoming the slaves of monsters, and we're the team the gods send to tip the scales. Okay, no pressure.” Ree rubbed her palms against the cool granite and decided to plow through. “Moving on. What makes this group so special? Other than the extra Guardians?”

“That is something that will become apparent as you progress. You will all learn from each other. Grow together.”

“That’s pretty evasive,” Ree pointed out. But Sophie merely shrugged and motioned for her to keep going. “Okay. We’ll come back to that later. How about me? Why me?” She tried a different angle.

Sophie swallowed her ice cream before answering. “You, because of your gifts. Because of your family. Because you have it in you to win.”

“Shouldn't all Alastrianas have it in them to win? And couldn't it just as easily have been someone else in my family? I have a cousin my age. Or my aunt? She’s always been gifted with something extra.”

“Each Alastriana was picked to counter what the gods thought the Dark Ones were planning. It had to be you, not your aunt or cousin. And for this, it was obvious to the gods it was to be you. In a way, the Dark Ones picked you themselves.”

Ree grimaced   and said, “Picked me? How is that?”

Sophie stood and went to put her spoon in the sink and throw the empty ice cream container away. “I think that’s enough for tonight. I will take you back to your room so that you can get a few more hours of sleep before going back to the mainland.”

“But…” Ree protested.

“You said you had too many questions for me to answer. In that case, we certainly will not be able to answer them in a single night. So why don't you get some sleep and we will talk again after you get back.”

Ree heard the finality in her tone, and knew she wouldn’t get any more information out of her. Irritatingly enough, while following behind the tall woman, she couldn't help yawning several times. She was still tired. And she really did need some sleep, though she doubted she would be able to stop her mind from racing.

Sophie bid her good night and Ree pushed through the large arched door to her room. The lights were turned down low, heavy curtains were pulled to block any light from the window and there was a dainty nightgown, robe, and slippers laid out on her bed. Ree looked around the room suspiciously. She hadn’t seen anyone but her friends and Sophie in the house. She felt funny about putting on someone else’s clothes, so she moved them onto the chair next to the side table. She stripped down to her undershirt and underwear before gratefully sliding into the bed. She had to give it to Sophie; this was the nicest bed she had ever slept in. As her eyes grew heavy, she wondered if her parents would be worried she hadn't come home. Lately they seemed to be so lost in themselves they probably didn't even notice. That was her last thought as she rolled over and sleep claimed her.