Equinox Academy: Dark Prophecy

Two years ago... The screech of tires and the crunch of metal rings loudly in my ears Shit s**t s**t…     Tears stream down my face blurring my vision and I press the accelerator harder and clench my fingers tighter around the steering wheel. I blink the wetness away and lock eyes with my living nightmare in the rearview mirror. Caitlyn Spencer... Shit, she found me... She knows...     Caitlyn’s eyes are red-rimmed and scream murder and vengeance as I watch her mouth open. I hear her vengeful cries over the roar of our engines and the pounding pulse in my ears. One would think she was a complete psycho who has lost her mind in a fit of road rage with a complete stranger instead of my foster mother chasing me like a vengeful god on a warpath.  That’s right the deranged woman ramming a vehicle into the one I’m driving is in fact, my foster mother.     Caitlyn has the looks of those proper god-fearing women who visit the temple and offer prayers and tithes to the gods. She’s a pillar in human society and is one of the few humans that doesn’t work a minimum wage job for a supernatural. Underneath all that prim and posh façade lies something more sinister and ugly.     I refocus my effort back to the road and concentrate on maneuvering the vehicle on the desolate winding back roads of Erwin, NC. The car lurches forward causing pain to shoot down my neck and Brian’s old Lincoln begins whining in protest at the abuse it’s receiving. Brian... Blood...     My eyes flash down to my hands and bile rises in my throat. I swallow willing nausea to pass. But I can’t seem to will the images to go away. Blood... I can feel it all over me... Murderer...     Brian Spencer was just as composed as his wife in the public eye. A man in his late forties that looks like a mix between Danny DeVito and the Violator from the old Spawn movie... He also had the perverted personality to match although only behind closed doors. He and Caitlyn were good about that. No one would ever know the perverse things they did and said because on the outside they acted like a well-put-together couple that spent hours worshiping at the temple and were the heads of different committees in the human community. I knew... It’s the reason I’m running now...     Brian had a sick fascination for girls my age that somehow went unnoticed despite their frequent runaway issues. They were pitched to me as being a loving well-mannered couple that loved each child they fostered and that the children that ran away were simply tortured souls that didn’t want help. I know now that none of the Spencer’s foster children ever ran away. He deserved it... Murderer... Goddess help me...     Another hard smash to the rear end of the car told me everything I needed to know. Caitlyn wasn’t trying to catch me. She must have realized Brian had finally snapped his leash and tried to enact his sick fantasies and instead of broken and beaten I came out scarred but alive. Brian on the other hand very likely met the demise that Nemesis herself would be proud of. It was an accident... He deserved it... I’m not a killer... Murderer...     Something pulsed through my veins that I wasn’t really aware of until a couple of years ago. Brain and Caitlyn always just thought I was a weird kid but it wasn’t until recently that they figured out the truth... You’re a supernatural...     Supernaturals or Supes consisted of four major races. The Lamia or most commonly known as Vampires, Lycan or werewolves, Pharmakeia or user of witchcraft, and Nymphs which are spirits of nature that take on humanoid or human forms. All races are considered to be powerful but none are more powerful than the rulers of our world. The Gods and Goddesses that once only graced us with their presence every hundred years or so now are considered the divine rulers. Once the supernatural world came out of hiding and began taking over the major continents humans were reduced to nothing more than slaves on the best of days. And once their forces began to fight amongst each other humans became disposable in the quest to rule the entire world. Wars broke out and the casualties were catastrophic on the human side as well as the supernatural side. The Gods eventually came down from Mount Olympus and put a stop to the war by offering each race a territory to rule over.     Think of it like the old checks and balances in America except the people don’t vote for their leaders. Each territory is run by a monarchy and the Gods and goddesses keep the peace between each supernatural race to protect the human race. The humans are what keep the gods powerful so it was important to establish peace while keeping all parties happy. Supernaturals have the power and resources to destroy the gods if they wipe the human race off the earth but the gods also have the ability to destroy all supernatural which would give humans no reason to worship the gods any longer. It’s a no-win for either great power so they formed a truce that allowed the Supes to remain in control but gave humans a fair chance at living as long as they remained in their places in the grand scheme of things. Fair no, but it was either accept the inevitable or fight and die.     That being said my abilities are unknown. Although I have the telltale signs of being more than human, my origins are a mystery. No information was given about my birth parents and even after asking and researching the most I was given was a woman who dropped me off at the hospital and vanished without a trace. The only luxury I was afford was my name "Kassandra Phoenix." There is no telling what I am until I come of age although according to Caitlyn I am obviously either of Pharmakeia or Lycan decent which are the only supernatural that are human before the age of eighteen and they receive their powers.     Glass shattering draws my brain back to the present and I floor it towards the bridge that leads to the center of town. I have to reach the authorities. I’d rather spend the rest of my life in prison than face the wrath of a Caitlyn Spencer on a rampage. I’ve gotten a taste of her cruelty over the years and she has tested my ability to heal to its limits. However, knowing Caitlyn she will find every creative way to cause me the most pain possible before she kills me. Murderer... I’m not... Blood... Justice...     As I race closer toward the bridge I feel the car lurch forward at the same time my grip slips on the steering wheel. The next couple of sounds are forever ingrained in my soul as Caitlyn smashes her car into Brian’s and sends me sailing over the side of the bridge. The loud crunch of metal on metal, glass shattering, the tires squealing, and the silence as I begin the free fall over the edge. I scream tears from my throat that threatens to shred my vocal cords but I can hardly hear myself over the pounding of my heart as my body becomes weightless. I’m falling... This was it... I’m going to die...     Do you know how they always do that slow-motion scene in the movie when the person goes over the cliff? In real life, it’s quite similar at least that’s what it felt like for me. I know it only took seconds for the car to reach the water but it felt like minutes passed in between my free fall and the impact of the icy water of the Cape Fear River. However, something strange happened just before I hit the water. A warm calming sensation washed over me and even though I could feel the impact rattle my bones and the water begin to engulf the car I didn’t feel scared. In fact, a pleasant tingle course through my body making my tense muscle relax as the water closed in around me. I closed my eyes to the sensation of soft moonlight caressing my skin. I thought dying would hurt but if this sensation was the deciding factor I could accept that this was my fate rather than the prospect of jail or Caitlyn.     Just as the thought enters my head a light tinkling of laughter causes my eyes to open and I suck in a deep breath. Which is the wrong decision seeing as I’m surrounded by water but instead of the burn I expected that normally happens when you inhale water I feel absolutely nothing. Panic begins to set in and that's when I see a dark figure settle in front of me. I can’t see her through the murky water clouding my vision but I definitely know it’s a female. Her silhouette leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead and darkness begins to creep in. I fight to stay conscious but the power pushing against my skin coaxes me further into oblivion. However, just before I’m pulled under I hear her speak a dark poem. When dark and lights balance is doomed to be lost A savior will come from the grey The royal blood of four must defend at any cost To prevent the end of days... The voice continues but the darkness creeps in and embraces me sweeping away the dark woman and her enchanting voice.