Book 1- Tainted

Chapter 12 : Secrets and Lies

I didn't leave the house very often. My father disapproved of it. The only times I stepped foot out of the house was when I had to go to the doctor. I hated it, I hated hospitals in general. With stark white walls, the stench of antiseptics and the overbearing dreary atmosphere, how could anyone not hate hospitals. I hated having to endure a billion tests that all yielded the same result, inconclusive. 

     I had been sick most of my life, longer than I could even remember. No one could ever figure out what was wrong with me. But one thing was for sure, I was dying. They didn't tell me this, of course. How does one tell a five year old child that they're dying. But I knew it though, I could see it in the eyes of the nurses who tended to me, they held such pity. 

    I was only five, I didn't want to die. I had barely lived. It terrified me so much, I spent countless nights crying myself to sleep. No child should ever have to deal with something like that. 

     There was only ever one other time I left the house that didn't require my visiting the hospital. It was late into the night when my mother came to me. She gently shook me awake. I lazily opened my eyes. 

    "Mommy?" 

    "Hi, my little prince," she brushed the hair off and placed a soft kiss on my forehead, before she hoisted me into her arms. My legs wrapped around her waist and I laid my head on her shoulder. 

     "Where are we going?" I mumbled before I yawned. I was still incredibly sleepy, my room was dark, meaning that the sun had not yet risen. Feeling warm and safe in my mother's hold, I found it difficult to keep my eyes open. 

       "To see a friend." She whispered right before I dozed off.  

     When I opened my eyes I wasn't in my room anymore. I was in the car, curled up in the backseat a blanket draped over my small figure. 

     "Marcus, honey. We're here," my mom said, as she looked back from the driver's seat. I lazily blinked away the sleep with a yawn, as I sat up. My mom opened the door stepping out of the car. She came to my door and opened it for me before taking my small hand in hers. I hopped out of the car.

     In front of us was a farmhouse, way past it's prime. It was falling apart, the floor boards creaked as we walked up the front steps. The front door was coated in blue paint that was mostly faded. 

    The door trembled under my mother's soft knock and I feared the door would fall off it's hinges. We heard shuffling, right before the door swung open. 

      "Melissa?" A slim woman in a silk nightgown stood in the threshold of the door. Her voice was raspy as if she'd only just woke up. 

     "I need your help. I'll do whatever it takes," my mom said desperation lacing her voice. 

       "My favorite words," she stepped aside, "come in."  

       My mom squeezed my hand before we walked into the farmhouse. The inside of the crumbling farmhouse was anything but, it was as if I walked through a portal.

     I was almost tempted to go back outside to make sure I had walked into the right house. The exterior was so contradictory to the interior. Where the outside looked like a beaten down farmhouse, the inside looked like a luxurious modern apartment.  

     My mother's "friend" led us into the living area where my mom sat me onto the white leather sofa. 

     She knelt in front of me clasping my hands, "stay here, I'll be back soon." She stood up, stooping down to kiss my forehead.

     She was gone a couple minutes, before I quickly grew impatient of waiting alone. I hoped onto my feet and tip toed down the hall they went through. I found them standing in a long corridor. 

     "It might take a few years to collect all I need," the slim woman spoke. 

    "What if he doesn't have..." My mother held back a sob "...have a few years" 

    "He does, trust me." She clasped my mother's hand, "I'll save your son..."

......................

The sound of muffled voices woke me up, I opened my eyes lazily. Everything was blurred at first, it took a second before my eyes came into focus. My mind was groggy and slightly confused as my eyes scanned the unfamiliar room. Where was I? 

    The moment I tried to sit up pain shot through my whole body and I immediately slumped back into the bed. My body was sore in places I didn't even know existed. I searched my mind for the answers to how I ended up here. Flashes of the attack surfaced, and I was hit with a wave of panic. What was going on?

    The muffled voices moved further away from the shut door until I couldn't hear them anymore. I sat up on the bed, pushing past the pain. The room was small and barely furnished. The only furniture included the bed I laid on and a small bedside table to my right. The walls were made of stone and the floor was marble.  I pushed away the grey blanket that was draped over me. 

     My eyes landed on the gauze wrapped around my left arm, where the beast had dug it's claws into my flesh. I could still feel the agonizing burn of it all. I scooching to the edge of the bed where my legs dangled. My body shivered the moment my bare feet landed on the cold marble floor. My legs threatened to buckle but I kept a firm grip on the headboard until they were accustomed to my weight. 

     I noticed for the first time that I wasn't wearing my own clothes. Instead I was in a pair of grey sweatpants and a dark green t-shirt that was a size too big for me. A small whiff of the shirt confirmed it belonged to Adrian. It smelt clean like detergent but there was the lingering scent of pine and cinnamon. 

     The fact that someone had undressed me while I was unconscious made my stomach clench with discomfort. But remembering that my own clothes had been covered in beast drool and blood, I realized it was probably necessary. 

       I padded towards the door. Opening it, I poked my head out cautiously, checking if there was anyone there. The corridor was clear, vacant of any other person. I stepped out into the corridor and listened for the muffled voices but it was silent, eerily so. The corridor was long, with stone walls and a curved stone ceiling. The floors were marble. On the right side of the hall it was lined with windows and the left was lined with doors similar to the one I closed behind me. 

      I creeped down the corridor, turning left when I reached the end, I went down a hallway tuning right when I reached the end of that hall. It led to another hallway then another then another, until I was undeniably lost. The hallways were never ending and they were all identical. I was growing increasingly frustrated. I just wanted a way out but there seemed to be none. I walked for what seemed to be hours. I was on the verge of giving up when I heard voices again. I walked towards them. 

     "It was your job to watch him, you should have alerted us as soon as you detected something amiss," the voice was obviously feminine, a very stern and scary sounding female,  "not only did you put his life in danger, but the entire realm at risk. You can't even fathom the consequences of him falling into the wrong hands." 

     I approached the source of the voice. Standing just under a spiral staircase were two females. One with piercing pale blue eyes and dark hair that was greying, I didn't know her. The other I recognized immediately, standing in front of the older woman was a strawberry blonde headed girl I'd come to call friend in the last few weeks. Abigail Thompson.

      "I'm sorry ma'am," she apologized, head bowed. 

      "We can't let this happen again, I'm having your team reassigned. The matter is much more dire than we had assumed. We never expected them to attack like this."

     Abby looked like she wanted to protest but she bit her lip to restrain her words. 

     "Until a new team is assigned, watch over him. Try to do your job right, this time." She commanded before she left Abby standing alone under the spiral staircase. 

       I figured this was a better time than any to make my presence known. I approached her,  "Abby." 

     Her gaze landed on me and her eyes widened in shock, she wasn't the only one surprised. What was she doing here? What was I doing here? And more importantly where was here? This place was like nothing I had ever seen before, the halls were a labyrinth in their own right. The way this place was built it seemed archaic like a 15th century castle. The essence of this place spoke of age, as if this place had existed for centuries yet it remained intact, not a single cracked stone. 

    It took a second before Abby recovered from her shock. "Mark, what are you doing out here," she grabbed my arm, pulling me further down the hall. "You're supposed to be resting."

     "What's going on? Where am I?" I shrugged away from her touch. 

     She shushed me, "not here." She started down the hall and I followed after her. She led me back to the small room, surprising me with her ability to navigate this maze. She was accustomed to walking these halls, it was apparent.  

     Once inside I settled back onto the bed, where my body sagged. I was exhausted, all that walking around made my already sore body more achy. Abby shut the door behind me and settled on the edge of the bed next to me not really looking at me. 

     "Abby, what's going on?" I asked turning to face her. Nothing was making any sense. I wasn't naive enough to believe everything that had happened last night was a dream. I knew it was real. And that scared me, monsters were real. But I still didn't understand how. How was it possible that I got attacked by some sort of beast, and even more important how was it possible for Adrian to have blasted it to ashes? Maybe I was losing it. 

      She didn't answer me, she sighed avoiding my eyes. "You should rest," she said instead, getting back onto her feet, "you need to heal."

      "What I need is for you to explain to me, what's going on. Abby where am I, what happened last night?"

      She looked reluctant to answer me, "it's complicated," she said instead. I rolled my eyes at that. I really didn't like to be kept in the dark. I was nearing a break down, I needed answers. 

      "What attacked me?" I pressed, leaning forward, forcing her to look at me. Her crystal blue eyes stared into my grey ones and I could tell she was hiding something from me, something major. "Please, I need to know," I coaxed I could see the resolve flickering. She sighed as she gave into my pleading, settling back on the edge of the bed. 

      "A demon." I scoffed at her response. She was obviously joking, right? But her grave expression indicated a different story. One that unleashed a maelstrom of panic going through my mind. I knew what she was saying had to be true, I'd seen the evidence, been attacked by it. There shouldn't have been a doubt in my mind. But how does one go about accepting the existence of demons. Supernatural things like that didn't exist, not in my world. 

     "W-What?" My voice was shaky at the mere consideration of the supernatural.

     "You were attacked by a demon. It was after you." I stared at her blankly for a second, my mind trying to wrap around her allegations. 

      "W-Why?" I hated the way I couldn't steady my voice, but at this point it was to be expected. Who wouldn't be freaking out being told that demons were real. 

      "I'm not sure, I just know what I'm told. They're speculating that the demon was sent to capture you. I don't exactly know why." She placed her hand on my shoulder, a sure gesture to comfort me, "Lucky for you, Adrian was able to fend it off." At the mere mention of his name something jolted inside me. With everything on my mind I had forgotten him. How was that even possible?

     "Adrian," I said his name as flashes of last night's attack flashed through my mind. Images of him being shoved to the ground by the beast—demon surfaced. "Abby, where's Adrian?" 

     "He's in the infirmary," my eyes bugged out, but before I could say anything Abby explained "he's fine, his injuries aren't dire. The healers just wanted to keep him under observation because he might have a concussion."

     "This is all my fault." I said, turning away from her. 

     "What? No, no it's not." 

     "You said that thing–that demon, was after me. Adrian was just trying to protect me. He got hurt protecting me."  I explained. 

     "Adrian can take care of himself," she was right, Adrian was strong and incredibly fierce. He stood up to that thing without even flinching. He even managed to get rid of it. He got rid of it? How? A question that had been drifting through my mind, unheard, suddenly made its presence known. Too much had happened last night to be sure what was real or not. But I was fairly certain that I had seen something near to impossible. Well something besides the demon that tried to kidnap me. 

     "His hands were glowing. How were his hands glowing?" Unless I was missing something, human hands didn't glow, or shoot light beams that evaporated demons. 

     "He used magic," I gawked at her. There was no end to the strangeness, was there? 

     "Magic? Like actual magic," I don't know why it shocked me so much. If demons were real, magic was the next thing. 

     "Yeah. The supernatural world is real, and as—" she was interrupted when the door swung open. In came in a man, six feet tall, stark white hair cut short. It stood in contrast to his tan skin and his chocolate eyes. He was dressed formally, in a charcoal grey suit, a black tie perfectly knotted around his neck and finely polished dress shoes. He seemed to be in his mid forties. 

      "Ah, I see you're awake, good." His voice was raspy as he came in further into the room. Abby shot to her feet, greeting the stranger. 

      "You can go now, young Abigail. I believe I'd like to talk to your friend here,"  I looked to Abby, silently pleading  for her not to leave me alone. She returned my pleading look with an apologetic one before she ducked out of the room. 

      He stood before me in silence, just staring at me. I shrunk under his scrutiny, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. I didn't like the way he observed me, like I some scientific discovery he was trying to decipher. 

        "Who are you?" I said when he took a step towards me.

       "You may address me as Cornell. I'm a member of the council," he introduced, slipping both hands into the pockets of his trousers. 

      "I'm—" 

      "Marcus Nelson, we're well aware," he interrupted my introduction,  "we've been watching you for a very long time." He said it so nonchalantly as if it wasn't board line creepy. 

     "Watching me? Why?" 

     "That, I'm not at liberty to discuss. Let's just say it's in our best interest to make sure you're safe."

     "I don't understand. Why would you have an interest in me?"

      "It has to do with a choice, one your mother made." 

      "My mother?" I asked as I got to my feet. 

      "Yes. Melissa Nelson. She was one of us. And I assume so are you." he shifted his position, taking a step closer to the bed. 

       "One of you?" He completely disregarded my question.

     "About the attack on you last night, we do apologize. It was a very unfortunate incident. One we'll be sure to take measures against, so as to prevent a repeat.

     "You must understand, if you'd only been properly trained. This situation might not have escalated" he sighed taking a sit on the edge of the bed, "But your father insisted—" I interrupted him. 

      "My father? What does my father have to do with this?" 

      "Your father didn't want your involvement in our world. He sadly blames us for his wife's death, something I assure you we had no hand in. Contrary to his beliefs we tried to protect her." 

     "I don't understand, my mother died in a car crush."

      "That was the cover up. We couldn't very well let the public know she was attacked by a demon." He scoffed.   

       "You covered up my mother's death?" I asked incredulously. 

       "It had to be done, the ordinary world can never know of our existence. It's imperative that we remain hidden," it made sense, people would not react well to finding out supernatural creatures were real, I was barely holding it together. However I didn't know how to feel about my mother's death being kept from me. Let alone the fact that she was murdered by a demon. How does one process information like that. She was part of them and it's what got her killed? Whatever they were. 

       "And what exactly are you?"

       "Haven't you figured it out yet?" He crooked a brow and I stared at him blankly, "we're witches, dear boy." 

      I stared at him with wide eyes, witches? They weren't real, then again I would have said the same thing about demons a day ago. So demons were real, witches were real. Great. My head was spinning. My world made so much more sense mere hours ago. I needed to sit down, I slumped back onto the bed. This was too crazy. This was too much information to process. 

        "I'll leave you to rest. Any further questions you may have, you can address to your guardians." I furrowed my brow in confusion. 

       "Guardians?" He pinched the bridge between his eyes and sighed exasperatedly as if he was growing tired of my questions. 

       "Yes, Abigail, Adrian and Paige. They're still in training, but we needed a team that could get close to you." He took a few steps toward the door before he turned back to me, "If that's all, I'll take my leave," he said and was out of the door before I could open my mouth again. 

    Of course they weren't my friends. I should have known, not this per say. Not in my life time would I have ever assumed that I being guarded by three magical beings or that demons were after me. 

    They didn't care about me, of course they didn't. They only hung out with me because I was their assignment. Oddly enough this made more sense. Who would ever want to be friends with me. 

     I never realized how much of my life was shrouded in secrets and lies. I knew my father kept things from me, but this, this was an entire world. How could he keep this from me? I was a part of this world and I never knew it. Why would he keep all this hidden from me?