Fire and Djinn

Prologue September 27th, 2004…. …. Somewhere in Scotland… A young woman’s heart raced as she fled on foot with her newborn child tucked into her cloak. Drenched from the Scotland rain she ran as fast as she could down the stone streets. A loud bellow of thunder echoed across the sky which made her flinch her child closer to her body as she turned another corner. Looking behind her, she noticed the trail of blood that came from her right side and gritted her teeth in determination. Her breath was heavy as she pushed her aching legs to go farther. ‘Just a little farther…’ she thought to herself. Not caring about trying to keep from stepping in puddles, the wounded young woman sprinted to a dimly lit porch with a plain brown door. Knocking with urgently, the young woman looked behind her to see if anyone had followed. The door opened to a large man, 6’3 with dark hair with a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, displaying his heavily tattooed arms. “Ruth!” The man instantly recognized the young woman, and hurriedly brought her in the house before anyone could see. “Damush, I don’t have much time. Malcom is stalling them for as long as he can.” She said quickly. “I have been looking everywhere for you. I can protect you and your child.” The man said with relief. “I am afraid it is too late for me, old friend.” The woman said as she cradled her infant in her left arm, and opened her cloak with the other. Blood seeped from the gaping wound on her side and the man’s eyes lost all light they had once held. “They had an iron sword, Damush. Only you can protect my daughter now. I will lead them away.” The woman began to cry as her state started to deteriorate by the minute. The woman kissed her sleeping child’s forehead and gently handed the swaddled baby to Damush. “Ruth, the only way I can protect her is if I bind myself to her. Surely there has to be another way.” Damush pleaded. “There isn’t. Keep my daughter safe, with your life, this is my last command to you. She is the last of her kind.” Ruth spoke firmly. Damush clenched his jaw as he looked down at the defenseless baby and then back to Ruth. Kneeling down on one knee Damush placed his right hand over his heart. “My Queen, I vow to protect your daughter by binding my soul to hers, forever being her mate and protector. It is, as you wish.” Damush pledged as his eyes watered, and his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you, dear friend. I must take my leave.” In a blink of an eye, where once stood a woman, was now a giant bird and took flight out the door, never to be seen again. ……..………………………………………………… Present Day… …A small town outside of Houston Texas. It’s funny how when you’re a teenager, you think you know everything. Sure, you have more to learn, but I thought all of the other stuff could be learned at college or something. Never would I ever imagined that everything about myself and the world we live in, would anything other than human. I’m not talking about aliens. I’m talking about the things go bump in the night. The supernatural world. No, not the ones in movies and TV shows, that would be too easy. When I was a baby, I was abandoned at a safe haven. A firehouse in Houston Texas. I was adopted 2 days later by a couple in their thirties, who were unable to have children. I didn’t I was 5 when I started to notice that my parents were different than me, they have brown hair and brown eyes, and I that have red hair and blue eyes. When I asked them, they didn’t lie. I am adopted. They never hid anything from me, and I from them. It never bothered me that I wasn’t their child biologically. They were mom and dad. I told my first lie when I was 7. They asked me where I was after school. I told them I was at my friend Lisa’s house. I mean, that part was true. I DID go to Lisa’s house. What I left out was everything else. I didn’t tell them because I knew they wouldn’t believe me. No one would believe me. I had gone to my friend Lisa’s house and had an ice cream with her before walking home. I remember I was crossing the street at a crosswalk when my water bottle fell out of my backpack and I bent down to pick it up. Some teenagers weren’t paying attention and turned to fast around the corner of the intersection and hit me with their truck. I didn’t feel the pain immediately. It took a few seconds for my entire body to become overwhelmed with pain, but I couldn’t scream. I began choking on my own blood and I tried to get up as I began to panic. My body refused to cooperate, except for my right arm. I moved my hand towards my throat, which I discovered was torn open, and I was bleeding rapidly. I wanted to scream and cry. I wanted my mom. My first thought was ‘I am dying’ the second was feeling bad for my parents. They adopted a daughter, only to die at 7. As I began to lose consciousness, my last thought was, ‘I don’t want to die’ The next thing I know I woke up still in the middle of the street, moments later, like nothing had happened. My body felt just a tiny bit sore all over, but the same couldn’t be said for my backpack. It had been torn to pieces and all my school supplies were spilled everywhere. I quickly picked it all up and thrown it all in a dumpster. When I arrived home, I told my parents that someone stole my backpack. I did my best to forget that it ever happened but when I fell asleep, I would see it all over again in my dreams. Since that day, I have asked myself repeatedly, ‘How could I have died, then come back to life?’