Extending his hand, Ace attempted to help me up. “Maybe we should have this conversation when you aren’t mending from a hard fall,” he chuckled. The sound seemed foreign coming from him.
I hated that he thought this was funny. Knowing secrets about my family could be deadly and dangerous-- for us all.
Hesitantly, I placed my hand in his, feeling the coolness of his touch. He helped me up and as I stood, I almost fell back down.
Steadying me, he placed his hands around my waist, helping me stand. Our eyes locked briefly as I placed my hands on his shoulders, righting myself.
A shock seared through my body as our gazes locked. There was one thing for sure; Ace was different. Far different from any other human I had ever met, which told me, he wasn’t human.
“Ok, I’m standing, now spill,” I demanded, pushing his hands off of me and standing by myself.
“You are very much like your aunt described,” Ace mused, watching me with great interest.
“Hey, what does that mean?” I cried out. Was he mocking me?
Wait, did he just say he knew my aunt?
“Your aunt Morgan had told me you and your mother were very stubborn and sassy girls. Guess she was right,” he added, narrowing his eyes at me.
“How do you know all of this? What are you?” I whispered.
I was tired of the games. Ace knew information about me and my family that no one living was meant to know. Like a tidal wave, our conversation before I passed out came back to me, hitting me full on.
Mediator.
Shielder.
Shadow Seeker.
Crow Haven.
“As I told you, I am a Shielder. My role here on earth is to protect the heavenly spirits and humans from the Demons and evil spirits who attempt to take over. Myself, along with others here, shift into Crows to watch over the town. Crows, as I am sure you know from ancient mythology, can sense evil, danger, and unwanted spirits. Your Aunt Morgan had an ability to converse with the lost souls, those who sought out your mom and others like her,” he stated.
No longer was he laughing or playing silly games. He was talking to me with confidence and strength and I knew he was being honest.
“Ok, so are you like the only one of your kind?” I asked, already feeling like I had the answer.
Shaking his head, Ace confirmed what I predicted was true. “Not even close. There are hundreds like me. We began moving to this small town after several Ghost sightings began to make the news. Shielders and Mediators have been in this area since the early 1700’s. Maylee included.”
“Wait, you are a Shielder? What does that even mean?” I ask.
“I protect humans and other heavenly souls. When an evil spirit or Demon attempts to wreak havoc on a town or person, we interfere,” he says, clearly annoyed by my level of questioning. “Mainly, our presence alone keeps the unwanted paranormal activity out of town.”
“How is that possible?” I question.
Laughing, he cocks his head to the side. “You can see evil shadows, your mom is a Mediator to the dead, but it surprises you that I am a Shielder?” he mocks.
When he puts it like that, it is hard to argue with his logic. Up until now, I had never met anyone else who had powers like the women in my family possess. I wasn’t sure what to think of this.
“Wait, I’ve never been told that I am a Shadow Seeker. How do you know that is what I am?” I question.
“Because the prophecy says this. The supernatural community has waited for your arrival for decades. Your mom possessed the powers of a Mediator and your aunt was a Seeker, too. It would be the offspring of your mom who would take on the role of Shadow Seeker. You see dark shadows that others don’t see, right?” he asked, arrogantly.
Sighing, I had to clench my fists at my sides to restrain myself. Anger and confusion was boiling over inside of me.
“So, you know about my family. Are you trying to threaten me or something?” I argued.
“Look, if I wanted to threaten you, I would,” Ace said, stepping so close to me that I could feel his warm breaths against my cheek. “I’ve been warned about your arrival for a long time. I honestly never thought you or your family would come here. But, now that you are, I have an obligation to protect you.”
“Ok, but I still don’t know what all of this means,” I said, feeling lost. Shaking my head, I turned away from Ace for a second. “You hate me, I get it. I’ve been looked at like I am crazy most of my life. Now, I learn that there’s this insane truth to the madness of my fears,” I cried out.
A wave of sympathy washed over Ace’s face and no longer did he look menacing. He almost seemed sorry for my ignorance on the subject. That fact alone enraged me. Did my mom know about this prophecy? Did my great Aunt Morgan know? If so, why would they withhold this from me? Of all people, they knew how important it was to know about your true abilities.
“It means, you have the power to see evil. You can will evil shadows and spirits to leave this world,” he said, almost with sadness. “But, you have to learn how to do that.”
Shaking my head, tears pricked my eyes. “That can’t be possible. I don’t want to see shadows and Demons,” I wailed.
“So far, we have managed to keep this town safe of unwanted spirits, but since your arrival, we have been notified of a new threat,” Ace stated through clenched teeth. It was as though he was making this my fault. Like I knew all of this already.
“Wait, are you blaming me for something?” I asked, acutely aware of his accusation.
“Well, if the shoe fits…” Ace began.
“Stop!” I cried out. “You haven’t spoken to me or been kind at all since I met you and now you think that you can just share this information with me and expect me to be ok with it?”
Ace ran his hands through his hair as an exasperated sigh escaped from him.
“Why would I be kind to you? Your presence here seems to be alerting the paranormal world. You are like a beacon for lost souls. Where your mom can help the dead, you seem to attract them. Now, I have to help train you,” Ace lashed out at me.
Like a flash of lightning, memories of nightmares came rushing back to the forefront of my mind. I had known all along. There had been warnings-- red flags that I hadn’t considered to be premonitions.
“I have to get home, I have to talk to my mom,” I stated with anger.
As I began to run, I felt an arm reach out and grab me. “Wait,” Ace yelled. “You can’t say anything about me, just yet,” he said, his eyes looking down, as if he were ashamed.
“Why not?” I asked, barely slowing my stride. He had caused my legs to slow, but not stop completely. I was fired up and was about to unleash on my mom.
“Because, if you do, I can get in a lot of trouble. The Crows only know that you are here, but they don’t know that you are aware of your abilities,” he whispered to me, looking around to ensure we were still alone. “Death will take over.”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I became frozen in place. His words rocked me like a hurricane as I stood there, unsure of what to do next.
Chapter Eight
Lies and Good Times
W
hat did you just say?” I asked, my voice low and menacing.