Awakening: The Elder Chronicles, Volume 1 Page 5

  "What do you mean I'm special? You're not making any sense." The helplessness gave way to frustration.

  "I cannot tell you about it now. This is not the right time or place. Let's say it concerns your father's research. Until now, my associates and I have kept you hidden. But now you are vulnerable. They'll have every detail of your life. And, as you can see, you are in grave danger."

  "So you said our kind. What is your kind? Who are you?" Elena asked.

  "My race has been called by many names. The name we most commonly accept amongst ourselves comes from Ancient Greek. We are called Daimones."

  He watched her for a moment. "Humans generally react poorly to a name sounding so close to the demons of ancient legend and modern myth. But the translation of the word is divine beings. At one time we lived together in peace with humans and acted as their advisors and protectors. From this relationship we became the angels of legend. However, later Christian chroniclers painted an image of the name and of our kind much more sinister. What humans see as angels and demons are one and the same; and I am one of them."

  Elena couldn't make sense of anything he said. As a scientist, and for all practical purposes an agnostic, she had never entertained a belief in the existence of such mythical beings. Yet how could she refute the evidence sitting right next to her? Talking to her! She'd seen his wings with her own eyes.

  An approaching car drew her attention back to her driving. Staring out the windshield, she drove a little faster through the familiar streets. She knew them like the back of her hand. They were the streets back home.

  With greater confidence in her driving, she collected herself. "Alec, if you are one of them, then why are you trying to protect me?"

  "Because, I was assigned to watch over you."

  "But why? You mentioned something to do with my father's research. I don't understand," she confessed.

  "This really isn't the time to discuss it. We'll talk about it later." Alec stared out the window, signifying an end to the conversation. Elena made a final turn.

  "We're here," she announced.

  She pulled the car to a stop in the driveway, slammed it into park, removed the keys from the ignition, and leapt out the car door with Alec a few steps behind her.

  The tan-painted ranch where she and her mother lived sat on a sloped lot bordered by trees at the back. The house had a garage located beneath it at the basement level, and the yard stepped downward from its highest corner in the front to the driveway in a series of tiers. A set of stone steps flanked by beds of colorful but fading impatiens wound its way upward to the front doorway. The driveway held Elena's car alone, meaning her mother was at work.

  Nevertheless, Elena ran up the steps and barring the formality of turning the key in the lock, nearly burst through the front door into the foyer. "Mom?" she called out. She knew she would not be answered. Being noontime, her mother would be at the office. She wanted desperately to see her.

  She scanned the familiar living room with its kitschy colonial furnishings. Despite the standard mess of daily living, everything appeared normal. Elena rushed through all the rooms to satisfy herself of her mother's absence, and then returned to the living room, where Alec stood waiting. He appeared concerned, staring at the floor. Elena followed his gaze to a patch of carpet on the floor, unable to see anything there to catch his attention.

  "We should go visit your mother at her job." Without any further explanation, he strode from the room.

  She grabbed his arm as he walked out. "Hey!" she called to him. "What's going on? What's wrong with my mother?"

  Alec shook his head. "I don't know. But if they found you at school, then they could have found her, too."

  She let his arm go and followed him back to the car. Elena's mother worked in a small industrial park about a half hour away. Elena knew the route well. As Executive Assistant to the company's president, her mother had managed to get her a part time job in the secretarial pool over the past few summers. A troubled expression adorned Alec's face for the entire drive.

  When they arrived, Elena stopped at the guard kiosk. After exchanging some casual greetings with the guard, she gave him Alec's name and the man raised the gate, waving her through. It took but a moment to find an available parking spot, and they made their way inside.

  The massive concrete office building stood about two-stories in height away in the far reaches of a small industrial complex. An aluminum plaque near the door bearing the company's name and logo betrayed its tenants' identity.

  Elena pushed the button on the door buzzer, waiting for the doorman to answer. "Come on in, Ms. Michaels. I'll tell your mother you are on your way." In a few short minutes, Elena stepped up to a massive oak desk in a large, empty reception area outside an executive office. Behind the immense piece of furniture, she could see the smiling face of her mother. Katarin Michaels was a slight woman with more salt than pepper in her hair. Her naturally olive skin had evidently not seen a sunny day in some time, and the few creases time had bestowed around her smile and eyes gave her distinction rather than betrayed her age. However, her smile soon faded, replaced by an ashen pallor as she saw Alec's face.

  "Elena," she said with a cautious tone, "what are you doing here? Don't you have exams?"

  "Mom," Elena urged, "we need to talk."

  "Fine, we can talk," Katarin said, "But why is he here?" Katarin had a hard, accusatory tone. Elena stepped back a pace. She couldn't understand why her mother could be so cold to him.

  Alec finally spoke up, "Hello, Katarin, it's nice to see you again." He spoke to her in the way old friends or acquaintances did.

  Elena's jaw hit the floor in shock. She turned to Alec. The lack of an expression on his face spoke volumes to Elena. "Mom," she asked, afraid of the answer, "have you two met before?"

  Elena's mother paused, staring from Alec to Elena and responded, "I am not sure how to answer."

  "What do you mean," Elena replied, her voice growing louder, "you're not sure how to answer? The question is quite simple. How do you two know each other?"

  Alec fidgeted, looking around. "Katarin," he said with urgency, "we should leave."

  Several people walked in and out of nearby offices. Most, Elena knew, were workers returning from their lunch breaks. But Alec's apparent nervousness did not let up.

  To Elena he whispered, "This is not the time or place for this conversation."

  "I am getting a little tired of the evasiveness," she snapped. Several of the office's inhabitants had poked their heads out of nearby cubicles.

  "Fine," Katarin conceded, "I'll meet you in the parking lot in about five minutes." She then set to work, tapping away at her keyboard. Elena knew from her mother's demeanor the conversation had merely begun.

  Elena made a beeline for the exit with Alec in tow. In the empty parking lot they should be able to discuss whatever they needed to. However, nobody spoke a word until her mother came out the front doorway. "Here we go." Elena sighed under her breath as her mother approached, thinking about how she'd lost her temper back in the office. She couldn't read the expression on her face, but knew her mother did not appear happy.

  "Elena," Katarin called to her daughter, "let's get in my car." Katarin unlocked the car doors.

  "Mom," Elena began to protest, but after receiving a glare from her mother stopped. "Tell me what the hell the big secret is—" she whined.

  "Elena," Katarin said over the roof of her car, "get in my car. Now!"

  "Mom, I..." she began, but stopped after turning to Alec. He nodded toward her mother's car. He never said a word, but she knew what he wanted her to do. Reluctantly, she climbed into the passenger seat.

  Before Elena could close her door, Katarin addressed Alec, "You follow us back home with Elena's car." Alec nodded. Elena handed him the keys. Katarin turned the ignition, and had the car thrown into gear, speeding out of the parking lot before Elena's door had even closed.

  "Mom, what the hell?" Elena exclaimed, "Why are you drivi
ng so fast? What is going on?" It shocked her that her mother would speed or behave so recklessly. She'd always been the most safety-conscious person Elena knew.

  "We need to make sure you're safe," Katarin said, glancing at the rearview mirror to make sure Alec followed behind.

  "Mom," Elena blurted, "will you please tell me what the hell is going on here? Seriously!"

  The car skidded out onto the main road and accelerated. Alec followed close behind. Katarin did not say another word to her daughter until all three of them were inside the house.

  Seated at the kitchen table, Katarin tried to settle herself a little before beginning. But she couldn't hide the fact her hands were shaking. "Sweetie," she said taking her hands into her own, "don't be angry with me." She squeezed Elena's hands. "I never wanted you to find out about this, especially not this way." Katarin glared at Alec and then studied the girl's hands.

  Elena opened her mouth to interject, but stopped dead in her tracks as her mother spoke right over her.

  "God," she swore in frustration, "I can't even say it."

  There was an agonizing pause. Elena could see her mother welling up and wanted to do something to comfort her. She let go of her mother's hands to put them on her shoulder, to pull her close. Elena slid closer to her.

  "Elena, you're not my daughter," Katarin blurted. "You were adopted."

  Elena froze. Katarin buried her tearful face in her hands as sobs racked her body.

  Adopted? Elena wondered. How could I be adopted? It had never once occurred to her she might have been adopted. While growing up, they had often compared her appearance to both of her parents' old photographs, and she did resemble them both. In fact, her parents had often noted some of the more stunning family traits and characteristics belonging to both her mother's and father's sides.

  "How could I be adopted?"

  Her mother picked her head up out of her hands for a brief second. "Sweetie," Katarin said between sobs, "it's not even the worst part of it."

  Her face tingled with pins and needles. How could there be more? she asked herself. My life's already a sham, and now there's more?

  Katarin paused as another couple of sobs escaped. "Your father... He analyzed your DNA," she told her daughter, taking her hands again and squeezing them. Putting both hands on Elena's shoulders, she stared her square in the eye. "Elena, honey... You're not... You're not human."

  Elena's face felt warm. She couldn't breathe. Not human? She couldn't comprehend what her mother said. Her mother who was not really her mother. The room started spinning around her. If I'm not human, then what am I?

  "I need to lay down."

  Chapter Seven

  Elena opened her eyes. They adjusted to the orange glow of the setting sun as it pierced her blinds and filtered into her room. She must have dozed off. Her last memory consisted of entering her room so she could lie down and absorb everything she'd learned so far.

  The clanking of pots and pans down the hallway and the miasma of delicious aromas wafting under her closed bedroom door—garlic, olive oil, onions, and browned beef conspired to make her stomach growl. She couldn't identify the dish being cooked, but didn't really care either. It smelled too good.

  After a few moments of self-encouragement, her legs swung over the side of the bed. She crossed the room, flipped on the light, and began rummaging through her closet, finding a clean, comfortable change of clothes. Freshly attired, she walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Her stomach growled.

  Her mother stood at the kitchen stove, tapping a long-handled wooden spoon against the rim of a large pot. Elena knew by the cans of stewed tomatoes and tomato paste sitting on the counter her mother prepared her homemade spaghetti sauce.

  Katarin turned around, and greeted Elena with a big smile. "Hello dear," she said. "I was getting worried about you."

  Katarin mixed the last of her ingredients together into the pot, gave it a quick stir, covered it, and sat down at the kitchen table. As her mother sat, Elena realized they were not alone in the kitchen. Her heart raced as she studied the man sitting at the table drinking coffee as if he were in a street-side cafe.

  She set aside the growing crush she had for Alec. "Mom," she began. "What's going on?"

  "Why don't you have something to eat first?" Katarin asked. "You have had a long..."

  "Mom!" Elena exclaimed. "You hit me with a double-whammy and expect me to sit down and have a meal?" She wanted to scream at her until her voice gave out. She wanted to kick something. Her rational nature, though, prevented such behavior. She had never been one for outbursts. Instead, she stood table-side shaking, failing in her attempt to calm her nerves.

  "Mom," she said in a quaking voice, "I want some answers."

  Elena sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, and placed her head in her hands. "I feel like this is some kind of sick, demented dream." She fell into tears.

  "No. It's not a dream," Katarin replied. "I'm so sorry." Her red eyes were swollen and moist.

  "After your father and I got married," she explained, "we were having trouble conceiving. I had miscarried several times, and we were on the verge of giving up. I couldn't bear the idea of not having a baby in my life.

  "One of my friends from the old neighborhood suggested an adoption agency. I mean, your father and I had toyed with the idea for a while, but never really took it seriously. We wanted our own baby. Our own flesh and blood. But after I miscarried for my fifth time, we decided to contact the agency. I couldn't handle another disappointment.

  "My friend had a brother who worked at the place and got us an appointment," Katarin continued. "The initial process was stressful and slow, but once all the paperwork was finished, it all happened so quickly. We got a call within a few days and before we knew it, we were taking you home. You were ours. They hadn't yet named you, but when I saw you, it was like you were glowing. Your name came to me right then and there: Elena...light.

  "We always loved you like you were our very own. Because, to us, you are." Katarin's eyes were welling up again.

  Elena reached out and melted into her mother's outstretched arms. Despite how much she wished it could all go away, she knew a kiss or a hug could not fix it. She had to come to terms with her adoption, with her parents not being her own flesh and blood. And yet, she found it hard to tear herself from her mother's warm arms.

  Conflicting emotions washed over her: betrayal, anger, fear, and greatest of all, confusion. Her parents had been lying to her since she could remember. But yet, feeling her mother's warm embrace, seeing her cry, understanding how much she hurt, she couldn't bear it. Elena didn't know what to think anymore. She felt numb, like she'd lost her father all over again. Except now she'd lost both parents.

  All these ideas passed in the blink of an eye, while she soaked in the love from her mother's hug. She'd already lost her father. She couldn't

  really bear losing her mother as well. Elena knew she wouldn't be able to go through such a loss again so soon. Her heart ached.

  After what seemed an eternity, Elena came to a decision. Her mother was her mother, no matter what her biology suggested. She cared for her when she was sick, bandaged her boo-boos, helped her with her homework, and sat up long nights with her when she had nightmares. Did it really matter their blood—their genes—didn't match? Did it change the relationship they'd had with one another?

  "It's okay, Mom," she said with a sniff. She leaned back out of the hug and threw her arms around her mother in consolation. "No matter what," Elena said, "you will always be my mom. Nothing can ever change the fact."

  After they broke their embrace, Elena turned to Alec, then back to her mother. "Now," she said in a voice laced with a heavy dose of skepticism, "what's this nonsense about me not being human?"

  Hands shaking, Katarin paused. "Sweetie, before your father died, he tested your DNA. His tests discovered your DNA is not human."

  "Wait," Elena exclaimed, "if I'm not human, then what the hell am I?" As if finding out I
'm adopted isn't enough? What the hell is their problem? How could it even be possible? It wasn't like she had wings or anything.

  Alec spoke up. "You are one of us," he responded. "A Daimon. The last Daimon."

  "I don't believe you," Elena said to Alec with a joking lilt to her voice. "There is no way I am one of you."

  She shook her head at the ridiculousness of his suggestion. Even despite what she herself had seen, believing in the existence of these Daimon creatures defied reason. Now he expected her to believe she could be one of them?

  She turned to her mother. "Mom? You're joking, right?"

  Katarin shook her head studying the table.

  Elena's stomach sank. Elena sighed in exasperation and stared off into space. After a few minutes of tense silence she finally spoke. "How did this happen?" she asked. "How can I be a Daimon?"

  Alec smiled at her, taking her hand in his. They were warm and comforting. She wanted to be angry with him. He'd betrayed her by not being forthright. She'd let herself be betrayed by this beautiful stranger. But even as she fumed inside, she could not resist his smile or his sapphire eyes.

  "Elena, you've been a part of my life a fraction longer than your parents. I delivered you to the adoption agency. We received you when you were a day old and were told you were a very important Daimon child. We were entrusted with the responsibility to keep you as far away from our enemies, those people who are chasing you, as possible. So, we did the one thing we figured would keep you safest. You see, the Opposition has little regard for human life. They consider humans to be little better than swine. The most logical solution, as far as we were concerned, was to place you with a human family.

  "So," Alec continued, "we contacted an adoption agency and offered to give them a sizeable donation if they helped us expedite the process. They were very helpful, and even provided us several of their best files to review. When we saw your parents' information, we felt they would be a perfect match."

  "After making sure you were safe in their family," he said, "we stayed involved in their lives to make sure you remained hidden from the Opposition. A handful of us had been entrusted with the secret of your existence, so we made sure not to involve any other Daimones in our mission. We alone were the ones who knew what and where you were. To all others you seemed to be a normal human child. And it's how we wanted to keep it."