Between Two Worlds

Chapter Eight

“So, ah, about last night.”

I pricked my ears.

Nick trailed behind in the group, for he was still a bit alarmed about the previous events. Cade was unusually talkative, despite the fact that he was carrying Brayden.

We left Nick’s house, and we all simply walked a trail in the nearby woods, which I hunted in to fill my famished stomach.

Nick lifted his hands, and distractedly stared at the small scar on his hands. It appeared shortly after we left. It was noticeable, but wasn’t very large. It marked his ceremony.

“What happens now?”

I shrugged.

“Depends. You could be one of us. You could be part of some prophecy. I don’t know, honestly.”

The boy nodded. I saw worry flash in his gaze. This was unusual for him. Nick could be living in a different world for the rest of his life if a prophecy was the case.

“Will the crystal hurt me?”

The crystal wasn’t visible in human form. The scars on one’s body was the only proof of its presence.

“No, no,” I whispered, comforting him, “The only thing you’ll be feeling is numbness in your left hand every now and then. I believe it’s the crystal absorbing into your body. This will help prevent certain diseases and stuff. At least, that’s what I’ve heard from Micah.”

The stag had placed Ryker in his antlers. The bird was recovering quickly now, but would remain permanently injured. His breathing has grown weak in the last few hours.

Cade was struggling to carry the heavy load on his back. I was surprised to see how long he managed to lift the burden on his back. However, I could sense that Brayden would be waking up soon.

We have been traveling since Nick had received his crystal. Thorn, Ryker, Micah and I have yet to receive our human forms so we could travel safely among the odd population. Until then, we decided we’d keep most of our travel busy at night, and slept in isolated places during the day. This way, we could avoid being spotted.

I would manage to form small electromagnetic waves around us as we slept for a certain amount of time. Any movement detected around them would send a quick, harmless jolt of electricity through our bodies to wake us up, in case of an emergency.

We continued the continuous walk for a few days, with barely any activity at all. All seemed calm, and Ryker has recovered successfully. He’d always carry his permanent broken bones, however.

Thorn and Cade had grown to become close friends. They’d always chat about random things, and we learned about many of the human cultures from him.

Nick and I became friends as well. He was still a bit unsure about his crystal Gifting, and I even began teaching him different ways to use his powers to a minimum. Thorn and I taught him a small bit of telekinesis. From there, we’d wait until his numbness cleared, and we’d get better control over his new powers.

One night, I got fed up with Brayden being unconscious, and I got so mad I took one of the water bottles from Nick’s pack and poured the whole thing right on Brayden. Foolish, but it worked! Brayden woke up gasping and once he caught his breath, he said,

“Wha-What the hell just happened?”

Nick woke up and stared in shock at Brayden, as Cade just grunted and rolled over.

“Not much you only missed a gun fight and some weird crystal embedding itself into my chest.”

Brayden just stared at Nick with an impassive look that read, ‘Tell me the truth already.’ Nick said,

“Yes it happened, ask anyone here.”

“No, no the look on your face makes me believe you.”

By now everyone was up and listening, even Cade. Cade yawned and stretched and mumbled something about why they woke him up.

“Cade, Brayden’s awake.”

Cade’s eyes opened wide as he stared at Brayden, who finally started wiping the water off his head.

“Yes! I don’t have to carry him anymore!”

Brayden and Nick just rolled their eyes and chuckled. Brayden eyed Nick’s rifle and said,

“Where did you get that?”

“My dad always had it but I never used it.”

Brayden shrugged and asked,

“What about the crystal thing embedding into your chest?”

“Oh...um, I have some powers now, so I can turn into a wolf and, uh, that’s all we know right now.”

Brayden stared in disbelief at Nick’s palm, which held the scar.

“No way.”

Nick just nodded his head yes and transformed into the snow white wolf with blue eyes with a simple touch to his hand. I was shocked he got the hang of it so fast. Shocked, but impressed. This was probably instinct.

“So, will this happen with everyone? Or is this just Nick?”

Thorn and I glanced at each other, and I faced Brayden and simply shrugged my shoulders. We weren't sure if it would happen to the other boys or not. Unlikely, for something must have been special in Nick’s case.

If the remaining two managed to receive their crystals, then something was obviously up. This would explain the sudden appearance of the Outsider on our first hour here on Earth.

It had to do with why we appeared in Nick’s yard.